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South Africa’s Semenya undergoes gender test

Aug 19, 12:35 pm EDT

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* Semenya undergoing gender verification test

* South African eligible to race in Wednesday’s 800 final (Updates with details, quotes)

By Karolos Grohmann

BERLIN, Aug 19 (Reuters) - South Africa’s 800 metres world championship finalist Caster Semenya is undergoing a gender verification test after her improved form this year raised an alarm with athletics officials, the IAAF said on Wednesday.

Semenya, is eligible to compete in the final later on Wednesday as the complex medical process will not be completed until well after the Aug. 15-23 championships.

“In the case of this athlete, following her breakthrough in the African junior championships, the rumours, the gossip was starting to build up,” said International Association of Athletics Federations spokesman Nick Davies.

“The gender verification test is an extremely complex procedure,” Davies added. “The situation today is that we do not have any conclusive evidence that she should not be allowed to run.”

A group of doctors, including an endocrinologist, a gynaecologist, an internal medicine expert, an expert on gender and a psychologist have started the procedure but the date the results would be announced was not yet determined.

“It would be wrong today to take a decision to withdraw an athlete,” Davies said.

The 18-year-old set a personal best for the 800 metres of one minute 56.72 seconds on July 31, which was eight seconds better than her time in 2008.

She was also the fastest qualifier for the final, running 1:58.66 her semi.

Davies said this was not a mandatory or compulsory test and the athlete was in no way suspected of cheating.

“This is a medical condition. It is nothing that she has done. There is a need to make sure rules are followed,” Davies said, adding discretion and the protection of the athlete was paramount.

“We are more concerned for the person and not to make this as something that is humiliating,” he said.

(Editing by Alison Wildey

To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Updated Aug 19, 12:35 pm EDT
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37 Comments

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  1. Maui
    37. Posted by Maui Thu Aug 20 4:45am EDT

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    if she is in fact a she then i feel extremely bad for her because she does in fact look like a man.....on the other side if she is a he then he should be this decades most shameful person in the world, u cant win in the mens side so u say ur a woman.... if she is in fact a he then he must have some mental disorder or something wrong with him...
  2. Steve
    36. Posted by Steve Wed Aug 19 7:28pm EDT

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    WWA'D'CD? What would Andrew 'Dice' Clay do?
  3. lucky guy
    35. Posted by lucky guy Wed Aug 19 7:23pm EDT

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    Yikes. She does look like a man. I don't understand the need of testing since all they have to do is check below.
  4. <i>megacerebrum</i>
    34. Posted by megacerebrum Wed Aug 19 7:23pm EDT

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    I don't know if this person is a man or woman. What i do know is that this person is an 18 y/o human being with feelings; and i wonder how deverstating this can be for an 18 y/o girl, who is obviously not that easy on the eyes. The Governing body for track and field should be ashame of themselves. It takes about 10 minutes to do a genotype analysis. Obvious Phenotypes can vary for different individuals. 10 minutes to know if this person is an XX, or XY; think about the deverstation on this person mentally, if we find out that this HUMAN is an 18 y/o girl
  5. Michael
    33. Posted by Michael Wed Aug 19 7:14pm EDT

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    Tis a sad day.
  6. <i>msbillie2007</i>
    32. Posted by msbillie2007 Wed Aug 19 6:27pm EDT

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    Just wondering why some ppl here are calling her a 'thing' or 'it'. It's just disgusting! Some ppl just have no shame. They undermine someone in order to feel superior and yet they are dealing with worse issues in their own lives. Have respect please.
  7. tonie
    31. Posted by tonie Wed Aug 19 6:18pm EDT

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    No offence, I love track in feild i ran track in high school but she looks like a man for sure. we shall see.
  8. david
    30. Posted by david Wed Aug 19 6:09pm EDT

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    leave the lady alone.....Get a life
  9. James
    29. Posted by James Wed Aug 19 6:01pm EDT

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    To all the lame brain doping apologists!

    If it wears a Nike swoosh, and is named Lance, Tiger, LeBron, Kobe, A-Roid:

    It is a CLEAN doper!
  10. RoslynG
    28. Posted by RoslynG Wed Aug 19 5:59pm EDT

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    Wow people are so harsh on this young woman. Perhaps she belives she is a woman and lived her life that way, but in reality is hermaphodite and had internal male organs secreting testoterone.
  11. James
    27. Posted by James Wed Aug 19 5:58pm EDT

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    Team USA dopes at the highest levels.

    Can you say:
    Kelli White?
    Marion Jones?
    Regina Jacobs?
    Michelle Collins?
    Tori Edwards?
    LaTasha Jenkins?

    all dope and all have sufferred the consequences. Kelli lost her mestral cycle too!

    Does Nike's Serena Williams looks like a female HULK?
  12. MJ touched hearts and kiddies private parts
    26. Posted by MJ touched hearts and kiddies private parts Wed Aug 19 5:56pm EDT

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    The South Africans can do what the USA did with Florence Griffith Joyner, and deny all drug use until this thing drops dead of a massive heart attack at the age of 40.

    If this thing was American, there wouldn't be any uproar and the race card would be getting used left, right and center. It's ok to drug and dope if you are American. Just ask Carl Lewis and Marion Jones.
  13. Mrs.P
    25. Posted by Mrs.P Wed Aug 19 5:54pm EDT

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    that is a man for sure !
  14. MJ touched hearts and kiddies private parts
    24. Posted by MJ touched hearts and kiddies private parts Wed Aug 19 5:53pm EDT

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    It just goes to show you how far ahead of the curve the drug manufacturers/laboratories are. The IAAF has to go through a million different tests to prove what sex this thing is. 5 years ago it would have been a case of " drop your trousers ", and now it takes a lab full of scientists weeks to find out if this thing has or had balls or not.
  15. Ravee
    23. Posted by Ravee Wed Aug 19 5:48pm EDT

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    What a mess international sports competition has become because of the desperation to win medals-doping,gender tricks, quickie citizenship and seeking genetic links to grandma etc. All this makes the IOC and her member federations look bad. It used to be so simple when men looked like men and women like women.

    In the mid 1960s a former US Olympic female swimming champ visited our high school in Malaysia and took us through a swim class. Even as 14 year olds but were shocked at the squared jaw and masculine physique of this "woman". It made quite an impression on all of us. Is this is how all American female athletes look like-big,strong and masculine-jawed?
  16. jades
    22. Posted by jades Wed Aug 19 5:46pm EDT

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    my 4 month old has determined she is a HE
  17. cobra
    21. Posted by cobra Wed Aug 19 5:45pm EDT

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    hey why would youy publicy this until you have proof what a bunch of morons
  18. Robert
    20. Posted by Robert Wed Aug 19 5:14pm EDT

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    she looks like a man, she runs like a man... chances are she's a man. or she's just using peds outthewazoo. I've heard stories that in the 70s and 80s some E german throwers took soo much testosterone they actually became men, they grew a pair and all. maybe the same is beginning to happen with this girl.
  19. Robert
    19. Posted by Robert Wed Aug 19 5:13pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    she looks like a man, she runs like a man... chances are she's a man. or she's just using peds outthewazoo. I've heard stories that in the 70s and 80s some E german throwers took soo much testosterone they actually became men, they grew a pair and all. maybe the same is beginning to happen with this girl.
  20. James
    18. Posted by James Wed Aug 19 5:08pm EDT

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    Team USA females all have BIG clits too!

    Steroids, insulin, hGH make thing grow!
  21. Mr. Peanut
    17. Posted by Mr. Peanut Wed Aug 19 5:01pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    I think they should check Crys Cyborg too.
  22. Famous
    16. Posted by Famous Wed Aug 19 4:43pm EDT

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    thats the stupidest thing ive ever heard..if it has a dick its a dude no dick its a woman how hard is that to see?
  23. JimmyJames
    15. Posted by JimmyJames Wed Aug 19 4:20pm EDT

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    Well if she/he lives in Colorado legally its what ever you feel.They just passed a law if you feel more woman then man you can use those bathrooms or lockerooms. Seriously!
  24. anthony
    14. Posted by anthony Wed Aug 19 4:06pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    If she wasn't winning they wouldn't care.
  25. James
    13. Posted by James Wed Aug 19 3:43pm EDT

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    Females on the STEROID, peptide hormone program can grow their female parts to GINORMOUS sizes as well as lose their menstral cycles.

    The men have to inject hCG female fertility hormones to counter their testicular athrophy for their excessive testosterone injections and smoke marijuana as doper Michael Phelps does!
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