Caster Semenya Wins Sponsor Support

(ATR) One of the world’s leading brands comes to the aid of South African runner Caster Semenya. Lux, one of the brands of Unilever, launches a media campaign supporting Semenya’s battle with World Athletics to compete in the 800m event for women at the Tokyo Olympics.

World Athletics has ruled that Semenya must take medication to reduce her testosterone levels to compete. She is the 800m gold medalist from the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, titles she won prior to the 2018 edict from the athletics federation. Semenya refuses to take the medication.

Semenya is an intersex cisgender woman, assigned female at birth with XY chromosomes and naturally elevated testosterone levels. She has battled throughout her career in sport to compete as a woman. Her appeal against the World Athletics rules will be brought to the European Court of Human Rights.

The campaign sponsored by Lux titled "Born This Way" will raise the volume of her appeal via social media. An animated video featuring the runner is the centerpiece of the effort.

A press release says the campaign is "part of a broader global initiative in which the brand has pledged to inspire 50 million women by 2025 using content, partnerships and activations to help them rise above everyday sexist judgements and express their beauty and femininity unapologetically."

"Supporters of Caster’s plight are being invited tojoin the conversation and share their message online using the hashtag #IStandWithCaster and to sign LUX’s newly launched petition to overturn the World Athletics ruling at bit.ly/istandwithcaster," according to the release.

Semenya, 30, says she now aims to qualify for the 5,000m in Tokyo, which is not covered by the WA rule on testosterone levels.

Severine Vauleon, Global Vice President at Unilever for Lux says the appeal on behalf of Semanya fits the Lux product line.

"I am passionate about brands’ ability to make a positive impact in people’s lives by leveraging their scale to drive positive change in the world. Working for a beauty brand like Lux, it pains me that in this day and age, women still constantly get judged for how they look and choose to express their femininity. So I am proud to say that Lux stands with Caster. She is an example and an inspiration for women everywhere, to rise above the judgements of others and express their beauty fully and authentically. At Lux, we believe that beauty should be a source of strength rather than a source of judgement," she says.

"It makes me very happy to see brands like LUX who fearlessly stand on the side of what is right," Semenya is quoted in the release.

"My case is but one amongst many experiences that can be heard and felt by women all over the world. My team will continue to fight the good fight. Like I have always said this fight is not about me. It's about the future," she says.

Reported by Ed Hula.