This is actually far greater than Caster Semenya. This has a lot to do with the history of his nation of South Africa.
For the sake of the younger readers on this forum, I will (very) briefly describe what has happened in that country:
South Africa is a nation that used to be under British rule, until they gained their independence in 1961. The country is currently approx 90% black and coloured and 8% white and a small minority of people from India. In South Africa dark skinned blacks are referred to as ‘black’, while light skinned blacks are referred to as ‘coloured’.
Now a remnant of British colonialism was a horrible set of laws known as ‘Apartheid’. Under Apartheid, millions of non-white South Africans were removed from their homes, and forced into segregated neighbourhoods.
Non-white political representation was eliminated in 1970, and black people were deprived of their citizenship. The government segregated education and medical care and provided black people with services that were inferior to those of white people. Blacks were denied access to higher education and good paying jobs.
Apartheid sparked significant resistance, violence, and protests and (just like in the U.S.) civil rights activists and leaders arose.
Finally, in 1990 President F.W. de Klerk began negotiations to end Apartheid, resulting in elections in 1994, won by Nelson Mandela.
Denzel Washington plays the role of anti-Apartheid activist Steven Biko in the 1987 movie ‘Cry Freedom’. Worth seeing:
https://youtu.be/iq4VjE0_AVQ
, also Sidney Poitier plays the role of Nelson Mandela in the film ‘Mandela and de Klerk’:
https://youtu.be/KZwRpwXOq78
I hope this gives some insight into that country. Although very brief, these are things I learned (not from school) but from watching movies, documentaries and reading about Apartheid.
I also wanted to let the younger readers know about a man from South Africa who immigrated to Ontario and represented Canada in (coincidentally) the 800m, at the 1992 Olympic Games. His name is Freddie Williams. I met him a few times and he told his story about how back in South Africa we would not be allowed to compete at track meets because he was classified as ‘coloured’. He immigrated to Mississauga, Ontario and eventually broke the Canadian record for the 800m by running 1:45.1 in 1993 at the World Championships.
So in conclusion:
This issue, if you look at it at face value, seems unfair (to some of us). That Caster is being allowed to compete with such an advantage. But if you look at it from historical perspective, you can see why a post-apartheid South African government is so sensitive to anything that they may consider as discrimination to their black or coloured people.
I also truly believe that the IAAF is scared and is being very careful not to cause any problems with race relations with South Africa and African countries in general. The IAAF already has many problems with PED use among track and field athletes. The last thing they want is a lawsuit with several nations from a continent that has significant representation in their sport.
So as you can see, this Semenya issue is much more complicated than just testosterone levels.
I hope the younger readers take some time to watch some movies and documentaries about Apartheid to get a better understanding of this issue. Here is a very well compiled list:
http://www.imdb.com/list/ls051288693/
P.S. Just one more historical tid bit I want to share. In 1985 a group of singers from the U.S. did an anti-Apartheid protest song called ‘Ain’t gonna play Sun City’. See if you recognize the singers —>
https://youtu.be/TlMdYpnVOGQ