Athletics South Africa apologises to Semenya
Thursday, 5 November 2009Caster Semenya has received an unconditional apology from Athletics South Africa for their role in the row over the athlete's gender.
And Athletics South Africa (ASA) president Leonard Chuene, the board of ASA and its members have been suspended by South Africa's Olympic governing body pending a disciplinary investigation into the affair.
The 18-year-old won gold in the women's 800 metres at this summer's World Championships, but her triumph was overshadowed by frenzied speculation over her gender.
It emerged during the championships in Berlin that the IAAF, athletics' world governing body, had commissioned a gender test on the teenager.
South Africa's ruling party, the African National Congress, has since set up a task force, which criticised ASA's handling of the affair.
A press release from ASA read: 'Athletics South Africa (ASA) has taken note of the African National Congress Caster Semenya Support Task Team media statement issued on 16 October relating to Caster Semenya and the gender verification tests conducted on her.
'ASA appreciates the ANC's position on this matter, fully welcomes and accepts without any reservations the findings and recommendations of the task team.
'Consequently, Athletics South Africa wishes to publicly and unconditionally apologise to Caster Semenya and her family, the President of South Africa as well as to all South Africans for the handling of her gender verification processes and the subsequent aftermath.'
