South Africa - Caster Semenya scandal

SA athletics chief suspended over gender row

Article published on the 2009-11-06 Latest update 2009-11-06 17:29 TU

South African runner Caster Semenya won the 800 metres but faces a gender test
(Photo: Reuters)

South Africa's athletics head Leonard Chuene along with his board has been suspended for his role in the handling of 800-metre champion Caster Semenya's gender scandal.

Gideon Sam, the president of South Africa's Sports Confederation and Olympics Committee (SASCOC) says his organisation will continue its hardline stance against Athletics South Africa.
  
Sam has “no dealings whatsoever” with the ASA board, he told RFI. Athletics South Africa, he said, had to make the next move.

The national Olympics Committee launched a full investigation into Semenya's case in September after it emerged that Chuene had ordered a gender test for the runner, and then lied about the results.

The committee is also considering action against the International athletics governing body for breaching Semenya's privacy rights by leaking the concerns over her gender before her world-recording breaking gold medal performance in Berlin in July.

Sam doesn’t contest the right of the IAAF to conduct gender tests, “it’s the manner in which it was conducted, the manner in which things were leaked,” he said.

This whole scandal has brought South African sport into disrepute, and now is the time to get his house in order before the Olympics next summer.

“Our athletes spend millions of dollars in trying to make sure that they are the best when they compete. All they ask for is better administrators to back them in what they are doing,” Sam said.

“Ever since they came back from Berlin, we’ve been working on making sure that we aren’t in the dark when we’re trying to work out whether people did bring the sport into disrepute.”