Why March will be historic for Caster Semenya

March 26 is a big day for the Olympic gold medallist as the Court of Arbitration for Sport is set to deliver its verdict on the case between Caster Semenya and the International Association of Athletics Federations.

In February, Semenya took to CAS in Switzerland to challenge the IAAF's proposal to restrict the testosterone levels of female athletes.

In a statement, the court said the week-long hearing was one of the "most pivotal CAS cases".

Semenya has received a great deal of support from the SA public, government and public figures.

A petition - Hands Off Caster Semenya - has been launched to show support for the athlete. Directed at the department of sports and recreation, it has almost 40,000 signatures to date. 

Mandla Mandela, the grandson of the late Nelson Mandela, issued a hard-hitting statement in support of Semenya.

"We oppose the proposed imposition of testosterone levels as undue interference and tantamount to controlling Caster's body without consideration of her wishes or the long-term effects of such treatment," it read.

Tennis legend Billie Jean King also expressed her support for the athlete stating that Semenya is "unequivocally female", while calling IAAF's proposal "dangerous" and "discriminatory" 

Last week, sports minister Thokozile Xasa flew out to Lausanne, Switzerland, to join a team of experts in support of Semenya. 

Genetics expert Avi Lasarow claims to have evidence that suggests that female athletes with increased testosterone do not have a competitive advantage in terms of middle distance sport. 

Lasarow bases this evidence on research conducted by Professor Ildus Ahmetov of Liverpool John Moores University.