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THE SMART NEWS SOURCE | Feb 09 2010 17:28 | LAST UPDATED Feb 09 2010 17:28
Sport | Athletics

SA to lodge complaint with UN over Semenya

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA Aug 22 2009 10:10
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South Africa plans to lodge a complaint with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights over the gender test ordered on middle-distance runner Caster Semenya, officials said on Friday.

The Portfolio Committee on Sport and Recreation said the commissioner needed to investigate the "gross and severe undermining of rights and privacy" by the International Association of Athletics Federations.

Semenya's gender has been under scrutiny since her arrival in Berlin for the World Athletics Championship where she won a gold medal in the women's 800m.

"The humiliation of Semenya was a sign of sexist action by IAAF as it undermined the achievements of women," sports committee chairperson Butana Komphela said in a statement.

The IAAF said on Friday it had to conduct the test to make sure Semenya doesn't have an unfair advantage over her opponents.

In a statement, the IAAF said it regretted allegations being made against the athlete and that the tests are "still under way to verify the gender of Caster Semenya further to remarkable improvements in the athlete's performance in recent months.

"These tests do not suggest any suspicion of deliberate misconduct but seek to assess the possibility of a potential medical condition which would give Semenya an unfair advantage over her competitors.

"The IAAF recognises the sensitivity of this issue and deeply regrets the allegations being made about the reasons for which these tests are being conducted," the IAAF said in Berlin. - Sapa-DPA

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there is no story here anymore....she was suspected to be a man in her own home....she entered a competition in which there are rules and regulations....she is not the first!!!!!! this story is a dead horse...if you follow sport, you will know....
berry juice on August 22, 2009, 11:04 am
Its sad that people don't understand that there are more than two so called 'genders', the reality is far more complex than that. Every single person is a subtle mixture of both sexes and there are some who only due to birth are even more mixed. I don't say this applies to Semenya, we don't know, but my question would be that those who pass snap judgements on the subject are not comfortable within themselves and, like religious fanatics, want to divide the world into those who are of the 'faith' and those who are not. Into only two genders, life is really easy and problems easily solved until you are personally prepared to confront reality, head on.
Andrew Lawrence on August 22, 2009, 1:06 pm
SA won't lodge a complaint with the UN regarding Zim as millions need food aid and political violence remains widespread. The sound of silence is deafening. It should take two seconds to determine sexualiy, and it should have been done along time ago. There is an intersting parallel in world tennis, seems like a hormonal thing. Wake up on both fronts.
David Hurst on August 22, 2009, 1:26 pm
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