Is she a man?

[shelly94]

Was shocked watching the bbc coverage of this last night - How the IAAf would put out a statement without any facts is beyond reason. Did they think they would shame her into not running?

While Caster Semenya, the new teenage sensation of the women's 800m, was getting ready for the World Championship final it emerged yesterday that the South African runner had been undergoing tests -- not of her speed but of her gender. Even before her gold at the World Athletics Championship in Berlin last night, speculation about the sexuality of the 18-year-old had been mounting on the track and field scene.
Semenya shot to the top of the world rankings for the two-lap event with a stunning time of 1 min 56.72 sec in the African Junior Championships in Mauritius three weeks ago. Just five hours before she was due to line up as favourite for the 800m final in the Olympiastadion in Berlin came confirmation that she had been subjected to tests to determine her gender.

But even with that weight on her shoulders, Semenya obliterated the field with a stunning run to take gold. Nick Davies, communications director of the International Association of Athletics Federations, confirmed Athletics South Africa had been contacted and asked to provide "gender verification documentation". "The gender verification test is extremely complex and difficult and the report has not yet been concluded," Davies said. "The situation today is that we don't have any conclusive evidence that she should not be allowed to run."

Semenya's coach, Michael Seme, maintained that his charge was prepared to "take off her pants" to prove her sexuality. He said Semenya, who hails from the Limpopo province, had been stopped from entering female toilets at a petrol station in Cape Town recently because attendants were convinced she was a man. "Caster just laughed and asked if they would like her to take off her pants to show them she was a woman," he said.Seme said he was "100pc certain" that Semenya was female. He said he was keen to clear the air after all of the trackside speculation.

"We understand people will ask questions because she looks like a man," he said. "It's a natural reaction and it's only human to be curious. People probably have the right to ask such questions. But I can give you the telephone numbers of her room-mates in Berlin. They have already seen her naked in the showers and she has nothing to hide." Davies stressed: "It's a medical issue. It's not an issue of cheating. We have to be very sensitive to this. We're dealing with a human being, someone who was born as a woman and who has grown up as a woman and we now have this issue where that is being questioned."

Semenya, who broke Zola Budd's South African junior 800m record in March, is not the first track and field athlete to become embroiled in gender speculation.

[Scott]

I don’t know I think the fact that Caster Semenya has come from nowhere to take a WC gold after competing in only half a dozen top races is very odd & people should be looking at the situation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-bqET22vEU You can see hwy plp are asking q's

[shelly94]

i agree its odd but she has under gone all the tests they have asked her to do so why now put out a statement saying she is under going tests. Even drug cheats are not named after there "a" sample comes back positive, they wait for the “b” sample.

If its proved she is a woman she will always have it associated with her which would be unfair I think.

[Scott]

Ye valid point. It’s one thing for clowns like me to be making assumptions but the IAAF releasing a statement before any test results are known is out of order

[Admiral Badger]

So thats where Kanu disappeared to.

[tackle-bag]

So thats where Kanu disappeared to.

[sarah_lennon]

Why do they keep saying in that aritcle that she wants to prove her "sexuality". I think they mean gender

[gfo]

Why do they keep saying in that aritcle that she wants to prove her "sexuality". I think they mean gender

i noticed the same thing. they're hardly going to swab her for "lesbian"

[sheepshagger]

Officials look for proof that runner is a woman

While Caster Semenya, the new teenage sensation of the women's 800m, was getting ready for the World Championship final it emerged yesterday that the South African runner had been undergoing tests -- not of her speed but of her gender.

Even before her gold at the World Athletics Championship in Berlin last night, speculation about the sexuality of the 18-year-old had been mounting on the track and field scene.

Semenya shot to the top of the world rankings for the two-lap event with a stunning time of 1 min 56.72 sec in the African Junior Championships in Mauritius three weeks ago.

Just five hours before she was due to line up as favourite for the 800m final in the Olympiastadion in Berlin came confirmation that she had been subjected to tests to determine her gender.

But even with that weight on her shoulders, Semenya obliterated the field with a stunning run to take gold.

Nick Davies, communications director of the International Association of Athletics Federations, confirmed Athletics South Africa had been contacted and asked to provide "gender verification documentation".

"The gender verification test is extremely complex and difficult and the report has not yet been concluded," Davies said. "The situation today is that we don't have any conclusive evidence that she should not be allowed to run."

Semenya's coach, Michael Seme, maintained that his charge was prepared to "take off her pants" to prove her sexuality.

He said Semenya, who hails from the Limpopo province, had been stopped from entering female toilets at a petrol station in Cape Town recently because attendants were convinced she was a man. "Caster just laughed and asked if they would like her to take off her pants to show them she was a woman," he said.

Seme said he was "100pc certain" that Semenya was female. He said he was keen to clear the air after all of the trackside speculation.

"We understand people will ask questions because she looks like a man," he said. "It's a natural reaction and it's only human to be curious. People probably have the right to ask such questions. But I can give you the telephone numbers of her room-mates in Berlin. They have already seen her naked in the showers and she has nothing to hide."

Davies stressed: "It's a medical issue. It's not an issue of cheating. We have to be very sensitive to this. We're dealing with a human being, someone who was born as a woman and who has grown up as a woman and we now have this issue where that is being questioned."

Semenya, who broke Zola Budd's South African junior 800m record in March, is not the first track and field athlete to become embroiled in gender speculation.

Stella Walsh, the Polish sprinter who won the Olympic women's 100m title in Los Angeles in 1932 and who took silver in the Olympiastadion in Berlin four years later, was found to have partially developed male genitalia.

Subsequent tests revealed that she possessed both male and female chromosomes, a condition known as mosaicism.

The German athlete who finished fourth in the women's high jump at the 1936 Berlin Olympics was known as Dora Ratjen but was later discovered to be a man, Hermann Ratjen.

- Simon Turnbull

http://www.independent.ie/world-news/eu ... 64743.html

err how long does it take to decide if a person is a male or female FFS, 'she' should just drop em and get it over and done with.

[Admiral Badger]

Officials look for proof that runner is a woman

" They have already seen her naked in the showers and she has nothing to hide."

Except meat, two veg and a disposable razor.

[Sea_point]

Not saying that Caster Semenya is a cheat, but mother nature can play some funny tricks on human bodies (bit's that don't drop in childhood etc...).Wouldn't be the first recorded case (even in the first world) where a little boy has been brought up mistakenly as a girl becasue his bits didn't drop develop and poor medical support.

If however "she" is gender re-assigned does that mean he qualifies for female events under IAAF rules....??

Anyone over a certain age will remember this 400m/800m world record holder of dubious genetics....

Show Spoiler:

Jarmila Kratochvilova of Czechoslovakia

[Admiral Badger]

Not saying that Caster Semenya is a cheat, but mother nature can play some funny tricks on human bodies (bit's that don't drop in childhood etc...).Wouldn't be the first recorded case (even in the first world) where a little boy has been brought up mistakenly as a girl becasue his bits didn't drop develop and poor medical support.

If however "she" is gender re-assigned does that mean he qualifies for female events under IAAF rules....??

Anyone over a certain age will remember this 400m/800m world record holder of dubious genetics....

Show Spoiler:

Jarmila Kratochvilova of Czechoslovakia

Czech Republic you say?

[ronk]

I wonder if she/her publicist is behind the story coming out like this and making such a splash.

Get it all out of the way early and create a big splash. Certainly generated a lot of headlines and excitement. You can bet that there'll be many more people watching her run next time.

[Oldschool]

Who cares - Athletics is one big cheat - I haven't watched any athletic now in about 8 years.
If an unknown cheat comes out of nowhere and beats a big name cheat, everybody moans about it.
The sport should be called "Cheat" after the card game, because nobody knows whose got (ie taking) what.

[Admiral Badger]

Ohhhhh I do love a good anagram....


'Caster Semenya' = 'Yes, a secret man'

[gfo]

assuming she is indeed a she, how awful must she feel right now with the whole world doubting her gender? the poor girl'll have issues

[tate]

according to radio news report i just heard she has three times the level of testosterone than a "normal" or at least IAAF acceptable level. They claimed it was from the bbc but i cant find it on their website

from skysports:

Semenya's time of one minute 55.45 seconds in the final was the year's fastest and a personal best by more than a second.

A group of doctors, including an endocrinologist, a gynaecologist, an internal medicine expert, an expert on gender and a psychologist have started the tests but the results may not be known for days, if not weeks.

Her improved performance this year raised alarms with athletic officials but The South African Football Players Union saw ulterior motives.

"Why does IAAF only choose Semenya out of all the ladies at the Championships? It shows that these imperialist countries can't afford to accept the talent that Africa as a continent has," it said, adding that some states were pushing "their racist agenda" against South Africa.

At Semenya's village of Ga-Mmasehlong, about 400 km (250 miles) north of Johannesburg, relatives and friends said they were hurt by the "lies" spread about her.

"I am proud of her gender and I know she is proud of her gender too. I know that Caster is a girl and I have proof. The thing is that I can't show you that," said her cousin Daphne. Genius defence

Meanwhile, a reporter from South Africa's Talk Radio 702 station said she had spoken to Semenya, describing her as upbeat and quoted her as saying her critics can "go to hell".

[Oldschool]

according to radio news report i just heard she has three times the level of testosterone than a "normal" or at least IAAF acceptable level. They claimed it was from the bbc but i cant find it on their website

from skysports:

Semenya's time of one minute 55.45 seconds in the final was the year's fastest and a personal best by more than a second.

A group of doctors, including an endocrinologist, a gynaecologist, an internal medicine expert, an expert on gender and a psychologist have started the tests but the results may not be known for days, if not weeks.

Her improved performance this year raised alarms with athletic officials but The South African Football Players Union saw ulterior motives.

"Why does IAAF only choose Semenya out of all the ladies at the Championships? It shows that these imperialist countries can't afford to accept the talent that Africa as a continent has," it said, adding that some states were pushing "their racist agenda" against South Africa.

At Semenya's village of Ga-Mmasehlong, about 400 km (250 miles) north of Johannesburg, relatives and friends said they were hurt by the "lies" spread about her.

"I am proud of her gender and I know she is proud of her gender too. I know that Caster is a girl and I have proof. The thing is that I can't show you that," said her cousin Daphne. Genius defence

Meanwhile, a reporter from South Africa's Talk Radio 702 station said she had spoken to Semenya, describing her as upbeat and quoted her as saying her critics can "go to hell".

Fair fooks to him.
Any man, that can get the better of a bunch of women is special, I say.

[AidanSloan]

Not saying that Caster Semenya is a cheat, but mother nature can play some funny tricks on human bodies (bit's that don't drop in childhood etc...).Wouldn't be the first recorded case (even in the first world) where a little boy has been brought up mistakenly as a girl becasue his bits didn't drop develop and poor medical support.

If however "she" is gender re-assigned does that mean he qualifies for female events under IAAF rules....??

Anyone over a certain age will remember this 400m/800m world record holder of dubious genetics....

Show Spoiler:

Jarmila Kratochvilova of Czechoslovakia

I remember Kratochvilova when I was a kid but I've had my doubts more recently
http://www2.iaaf.org/Multimedia/Photo/A ... tola02.jpg