Equity and inclusion in sport have come a long way since women were first allowed to participate at the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris (albeit in a limited number of events). The Olympic Charter now affirms that the practice of sport is a human right and prohibits discrimination of any kind in the Olympic Movement.
Despite these advancements, certain international and national federations continue to exclude (expressly or by implication) certain female athletes from participating in the female category. This has created a new battleground of discrimination in international sport.
Tyr's sport litigators have had the privilege of advising and representing female athletes who were excluded from competing in the female category based on regulations targeting women with certain genetic characteristics known as differences in sexual development (DSD). Among these important and complex cases, Tyr represented Dutee Chand, and continues to represent Caster Semenya, in challenging discriminatory regulations in international track and field. Ms. Chand succeeded at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2015 and Caster Semenya won her appeal before the European Court of Human Rights in July 2023.
The firm strongly respects the rights and human dignity of every athlete and is uniquely positioned to assist any individual subject to discriminatory, exclusionary, or harmful regulations or policies in international sport.