South Africa - athletics
Australian press claims Semenya is a hermaphrodite
Article published on the 2009-09-11 Latest update 2009-09-11 16:05 TU
Caster Semenya's victory parade in Polokwane on 29 August
(Photo: Reuters)
South African athletes, officials and the family of Caster Semenya are angry about articles published in the Australian press on Friday, which claim that she is a hermaphrodite. She has been subject to a gender verification test.
“Why must jealously drive people to say such bad things,” questioned Dorcus Semenya, according to the The Times newspaper.
Meanwhile, the Daily Telegraph in Sydney reported that her gender tests revealed that she had no womb or ovaries.
“Athletics is in crisis over the gender of Caster Semenya after tests revealed the South African world champion has no womb or ovaries,” said their report.
But the International Association of Athletic Federations, who are administering the gender test, distanced themselves from the reports saying that, “these should not be considered as official statements.”
They added that the outcome of the tests would be, “examined by a group of medical experts,” and a final decision on the case would not be made before the IAAF meets in Monaco on 20-21 November.
