The Times reported that the lawyers of the International Association of Athletics Federations,
IAAF, will say Caster Semenya, is a biological male, as well as a female.
Semenya's lawyers say, Semenya is "unquestionably a woman", before a court case against the
athletics' governing body.
Semenya lawyers are Norton Rose Fulbright.
She is challenging a proposed IAAF rule that aims to restrict the levels of testosterone
in female runners.
The IAAF denied on Wednesday that it will class any athlete with "differences of sexual
development, DSD," as male.
"Ms Semenya is unquestionably a woman," said Semenya's lawyers in a statement on Thursday.
"She is a heroine and an inspiration to many people around the world.
"Ms Semenya is fighting for her right to run without being required to undergo unnecessary
medical intervention.
She is fighting to run free."
The case will be heard at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, CAS, next week.
The IAAF intended to bring in new rules on 1 November last year, but put that back to
26 March to wait for the outcome of the legal challenge from Caster Semenya and Athletics
South Africa.
The rules will apply to women in track events from 400m up to the mile, and require that
athletes have to keep their testosterone levels below a prescribed amount, "for at least six
months prior to competing".
Semenya's lawyers said she asks to be "respected and treated as any other athlete".
"Women with differences in sexual development, have genetic variations that are no different
than other genetic variations that are celebrated in sport," they said.
"Her genetic gift should be celebrated, not discriminated against."
The IAAF said it accepted the legal sex of DSD athletes, of whom Semenya is the most
notable, "without question", and permit them to compete in the female category.
"However, if a DSD athlete has testes and male levels of testosterone, they get the
same increases in bone and muscle size and strength and increases in haemoglobin that
a male gets when they go through puberty, which is what gives men such a performance
advantage over women," it added.
"Therefore, to preserve fair competition in the female category, it is necessary to require
DSD athletes to reduce their testosterone down to female levels before they compete
at international level."
IAAF lawyer, Jonathan Taylor, told The Times that if CAS rules that the governing body
cannot implement the new rule, "then DSD and transgender athletes will dominate the podiums
and prize money in sport, and women with normal female testosterone levels will not have any
chance to win".
In response, Semenya's lawyers said: "There are different regulations for DSD athletes
and transgender athletes.
"Ms Semenya respects the rights and interests of transgender athletes around the world.
"Her case, however, is about the rights of women such as Ms Semenya, who are born as
women, reared and socialised as women, who have been legally recognised as women for
their entire lives, who have always competed in athletics as women, and who should be permitted
to compete in the female category without discrimination."
Semenya, a two-time Olympic champion and three-time world champion, has previously been asked
to undertake gender testing by athletics chiefs, but no results have officially been made public.
Her lawyers repeated the statement that Semenya made when she announced she would fight the
rules last year: "It is not fair.
I just want to run naturally, the way I was born.
"It is not fair that I am told I must change.
It is not fair that people question who I am."
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