Berlin, Germany (GenevaLunch) – Caster Semenya, the 18-year-old South African winner of the 800 metres at the World Championships in Berlin, has been asked to take a gender test. The South African Athletics Federation say that it is confident she is female, but there have been doubts based on appearance and the rapid improvement in her times.
She broke Zola Budd’s South African record and is the African junior champion. The International Amateur Athletics Federation has been criticized for its handling of the case, but it is clear that there is no easy way to deal with the complex issue. The test results could take weeks to be completed.
Details: BBC
This work by genevalunch.com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported.
News story, GenevaLunch, 20 August 2009.
Filed under: Sports
Tags: 800 metres, Berlin, Caster Semenya, IAAF, International Amateur Athletics Federation, South Africa, World Championships, Zola Budd
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August 20th, 2009 at 11:29 am
Maybe if she had plucked her eyebrows and painted her nails and looked more like an African American she would not have caused this controversy. This is sexism at its worst.
August 20th, 2009 at 11:35 am
This is shocking!! When the IAAF investigates an athlete for doping, the investigation is kept secret until such time as TWO positive test results have been received. The fact that the IAAF announced the investigation before it had even started smacks of a conspiracy to throw Caster off her gold medal dreams. It’s a disgrace to allow the IAAF to cast doubts on Caster’s right to her medal.
August 20th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
I agree with Karen. Shocking is not the word the way they treated Miss Caster Semenya.
Maybe somebody of the IAAF could clear the matter: “Why was this made public before an investigation was launched?” A lot of people are very upset and angry about the way Miss Semenya has been treated.
Miss Caster Semenya: “Me and my whole family are all supporting you! You did soooo amazingly well. If you can, don’t let them take your joy. You have achieved something incredible. You deserve that medal three fold. God bless you. You have an amazing talent”
August 21st, 2009 at 7:50 pm
I feel bad for her, she can’t help her condition and she probably has been mocked all her life. At least she can be finally do something that she can be proud of.