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20:07 GMT, Thursday, 19 November 2009

Semenya tests not complete - IAAF

Gender tests on South African athlete Caster Semenya are yet to be completed, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) revealed.

The 18-year-old had been expected to find out if she was eligible to compete as a woman on Friday.

But the IAAF said it will not discuss the case at its meeting in Monaco.

The IAAF would also not confirm claims from South Africa that Semenya will be allowed to keep the 800m gold medal she won at August's World Championships.

The governing body was responding to an earlier statement from South Africa's Department of Sport and Recreation that said: "Because Caster has been found to be innocent of any wrong, she will then retain her gold medal, retain her title of 800m world champion, retain her prize money."

Semenya's achievement at the World Championships in Berlin was overshadowed by the controversy.

Depending on the test results, she could be suspended, told to have surgery or cleared to run as a woman.

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The IAAF statement read: "The IAAF, the South African ministry of sport and recreation and Caster Semenya's representatives have been and still are in discussions with a view to resolving the issues surrounding Caster Semenya's participation in athletics.

"The IAAF will not comment upon the medical aspects of Caster Semenya's case. The medical testing of the athlete is still to be completed.

"There will be no discussion of Caster Semenya's case at the forthcoming IAAF council meeting to be held in Monaco on 20-21 November 2009. No further comment will be made on this subject until further notice."

BBC Sport understands the tests are likely to reveal Semenya, who is currently training at the University of Pretoria, has an intersex status.

Semenya burst on to the world scene when she ran one minute, 56.72 seconds for the 800m in July, smashing her previous personal best by more than seven seconds.

She also broke Zola Budd's long-standing South African 800m record before arriving in Berlin as the newly crowned African junior champion.

The teenager then left her rivals trailing in Berlin to win by 2.5 seconds from 2007 champion Janeth Jepkosgei in 1.55.45, the fastest time of the year.

Before the race, it was revealed that the IAAF demanded Semenya take a gender test before the World Championships amid fears she might not be able to run as a woman.

Following the findings of initial tests, the IAAF asked South Africa to withdraw her from their team for Germany but Athletics South Africa (ASA) insisted she should run and has since said it is certain she is female, a claim backed up by her family.

Earlier this month, South Africa's Olympic governing body suspended ASA president Leonard Chuene after he admitted that he lied about whether Semenya had been gender tested before Berlin.

The ASA board and its members have also been suspended pending a disciplinary investigation into the matter.




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Related to this story:

Semenya to keep World gold medal (10 Sep 09 |  Athletics )
SA chief suspended in Semenya row (05 Nov 09 |  Athletics )
Semenya: Let down by athletics (19 Sep 09 |  Africa )
Q&A: How do you define sex? (11 Sep 09 |  Health )
Semenya tests 'must be annulled' (30 Oct 09 |  Africa )
SA chief issues Semenya apology (19 Sep 09 |  Athletics )
New twist in Semenya gender saga (25 Aug 09 |  Athletics )
Crowds greet gender-test athlete (25 Aug 09 |  Africa )
South Africans restore Semenya's pride (25 Aug 09 |  Africa )
Birth certificate backs SA gender (21 Aug 09 |  Africa )
The complexities of sexual identity (21 Aug 09 |  Health )
Semenya dismissive of gender row (21 Aug 09 |  Athletics )
South Africans unite behind gender row athlete (20 Aug 09 |  Africa )
SA fury over athlete gender test (20 Aug 09 |  Africa )
Meadows surges to bronze in 800m (20 Aug 09 |  Athletics )
Semenya told to take gender test (19 Aug 09 |  Athletics )

RELATED INTERNET LINKS:
Gordon Farquhar blog
Have your say on athletics on 606
International Athletics
IAAF Policy on Gender Verification
Athletics South Africa
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