South African runner, Caster Semenya is an 18-year old athlete who has been the center of attention in the sports world as of late. In August of this year Semenya won the world champion medal for running the 800m in Berlin.
Officials had concerns surrounding her gender. Some thought that Semenya appears to be male and expressed concerns that male hormones may give Semenya an unfair advantage in running.
Initially Semenya and her family brushed off the accusations. Today unconfirmed reports that her gender tests reveal that she has both male and female sexual organs.
Semenya was scheduled to compete in the 4,000 meters at the national cross country championships in Pretoria however, her coach, Michael Seme, says she "isn't feeling well".
Semenya has gone into hiding and is awaiting further test results.
Unsubstantiated reports state that Semenya's tests revealed that she does not have ovaries or a womb and produces testosterone.
Butana Komphela, the chairman of Parliament's portfolio committee on sport and recreation reports that Semenya is being closely watched and monitored to make sure she remains clear of harm."She is like a raped person. She is afraid of herself and does not want anyone near her. She has been placed on an altar for all the world to see. If she commits suicide, it will be on all our heads", says Komphela.
Sport and Recreation Minister Makhenkesi Stofile said he was "shocked and disgusted" at the treatment that Semenya has received.
"She may be a hermaphrodite, but so what? She is still a girl," Stofile said.
Even if Semenya has an unfortunate "proportion of hormones," he said, she is still "a young girl enjoying growing up."
Yahoo Sports Blog responds to some high profile questions...
1) Will Semenya be stripped of her gold medal?
Probably. It's hard to imagine that the IAAF would allow Semenya to keep the gold after what these tests reveal. The rules explicitly state that a "gender verification" situation has to be approved and overseen by medical authorities. Semenya didn't do this. Fair or not, a rule is a rule.
2) Will Semenya ever be allowed to run again?
Reading the IAAF rules, it would appear that Semenya would be allowed to run if her condition was treated. Whether or not she would want to is anyone's guess. But there's also a chance she could be banned from running based on the answer to the next question.
3) Who knew about this and when did they know?
We haven't gotten this far down the road yet, but the next logical step in the progression of this sordid affair is whether there was a coverup involved. Regardless of whether the intentions of Semenya and her handlers were nefarious, they had to know of her ambiguous gender. Not having ovaries isn't something that goes unnoticed. If they did, then at what point did this turn from an unfortunate medical situation into outright deception?
If Semenya was an innocent running without knowledge of her condition, then there's not much the IAAF could do other than strip her medal and advise her on how to regain eligibility. But if it can be determined that she knew she was running illegally (which would be tough to prove, but I'm starting to get the feeling that people knew -- how else would other coaches have known to order gender tests?) then there could be heavy sanctions down the road.
These questions will be discussed in the coming weeks and will be the center of attention when the IAAF officially releases its findings in November.
News Report on Caster Semenya
I can only imagine how difficult and embarrassing this must be for Semenya.
This is a recent cover for You Magazine. The caption reads "Wow, Look at Caster Now!". I fear that she made the decision to glam herself up as she has been under such a magnifying glass. I truly hope that she will be able to live as she is and not let this media frenzy get the best of her. It seems that she is not doing well but I know she has the support of her family.
Instead of celebrating her athletic wins, she is dealing with controversy. I wish you well Caster.
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