Johannesburg – Former Olympic champion Caster Semenya has ruled out taking up any leadership or administrative position within Athletics South Africa (ASA), saying she has no interest in working with people she believes betrayed her during her athletics career.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Spar Grand Prix road-running awards in Johannesburg, Semenya said she preferred to concentrate on her own projects rather than become involved in the administration of athletics.

“I don’t want to be in a space where I need to answer to someone,” she said, according to The Citizen.

“I want to fix my own ship.

“I have Masai Athletics Club and the Caster Semenya Foundation, which is my priority.”

She added that she had no intention of joining any national or international athletics organisation, saying: “When it comes to national and international leadership at the moment, I don’t see myself working with snakes. I’ve been betrayed so many times by the very same people.”

Strained relationship 

Semenya’s comments come at a difficult time for ASA, which is facing mounting pressure to address governance failures and restore confidence in the country’s athletics administration.

According to TimesLIVE, World Athletics has instructed the federation to remove suspended president James Moloi and overhaul its constitution within six months or risk international suspension.

The international governing body raised concerns about divisions within ASA’s executive board, decision-making challenges and conflicts of interest.

Business Day reported that ASA had appointed Jean Verster as acting president as it sought to comply with World Athletics’ directives.

Semenya’s strained relationship with athletics administrators dates back to her emergence as a teenage sensation in 2009, when she won the World Athletics Championships 800m title at the age of 18.

Lengthy dispute 

Her career was subsequently overshadowed by a lengthy dispute with World Athletics over regulations requiring female athletes with differences of sex development (DSD) to lower their naturally occurring testosterone levels to compete in certain women’s events.

Semenya challenged the regulations through the courts, arguing that they discriminated against her and violated her human rights.

In July 2025, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that her right to a fair hearing had been violated by Switzerland’s Supreme Court in its handling of the case.

According to BBC Sport, the ruling was a partial victory for Semenya but did not overturn World Athletics’ eligibility regulations.

The two-time Olympic 800m champion, who was barred from competing in her preferred middle-distance events in 2019 after refusing to take hormone-suppressing medication, has since shifted her focus towards supporting young athletes and developing grassroots athletics.

Her latest remarks suggest that, despite her experience and achievements in the sport, a return to athletics administration is not part of her plans.