South African runner Caster Semenya: boy or girl?

After drawing attention with the fastest 800m time of the year, the runner is undergoing gender testing required by the IAAF- the International Association of Athletics Federations.  We’re tracking coverage on from Independent Online, the Johannesburg Mail & Guardian, the Science of Sport blog and the BBC.

The media have been mostly against the testing, but have different complaints.  First off, South African news website Independent Online brings us this perspective from Leonard Chuene (Choo-a-nay), the president of Athletics South Africa.

He says the testing has nothing to do with athletics.

“This is about racism. These rumours come from South Africa. Why did these people write to the IAAF? These are the same people who don't want the 2010 World Cup, the same people who bring black people down and the same people who refuse to believe that Africans can make it on the world stage.”

The Johannesburg Mail & Guardian’s Sports Leader blog looks not at race but at world status:

“…if Semenya was from a European or other ‘First World’ state, would the same questions be asked about her gender?... Would [the IAAF] leak a possible positive Usain Bolt test before he was set to run the 200m final?”

LA’s CBS affiliate KCAL9 tones down the debate a bit, saying the IAAF is not accusing Semenya of any wrongdoing.  

“Semenya was a virtual unknown in South Africa until her times began to improve dramatically lately. A gender test has been ordered, officials say, not because Semenya is suspected of cheating by having a sex change operation, but to determine whether she has what’s being called ‘a medical condition’.”

South African blog ‘The Science of Sport’ questions the timing of the IAAF’s announcement of the tests, saying they should have waited until after the 800m final.

“I am not sure how this helps anyone… The problem we now have is that she may well go on to win this final and then weeks down the line, we may yet have a disqualification and a result overturned, depending on those results… Then again, stopping her from running may be equally unfair, because the tests may show nothing…”

Speaking during the BBC’s coverage of the World Championships, former U.S. Olympic sprinter Michael Johnson was also critical of the timing of the announcement and wonders how it will affect Semenya throughout her career.

“I think that, they put out a statement yesterday four hours before the 800m final. Certainly there were going to be rumors. I would have preferred to have heard about this as a rumor and something that we didn’t know if it’s going to happen or not. Therefore we’re not now debating it and talking about it and potentially embarrassing this athlete for the rest of her life.”

What do you think of the IAAF’s testing of Semenya? Could they have handled the situation differently?