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| The IAAF have opened an inquiry into the handling of the Semenya affair [AFP] |
Controversial South African runner Caster Semenya will be able to keep her 800 metres gold medal she won in Berlin.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has announced that Semenya will keep her 800 metres world title, and agreed that the results of any testing conducted on the 18-year-old will be treated as confidential, with no further public announcements.
Semenya, who raced to victory in August's world championships, has endured a very public debate over her gender.
She underwent gender verification tests this summer in South Africa and Germany and a panel of experts has been studying the results for the IAAF.
The South African government, Semenya's lawyers and the IAAF had reached total agreement that she will retain her gold medal, title and prize money because she has been found "innocent of any wrong", the ministry said in a statement.
Agreement was also reached with the IAAF that results of the scientific gender tests conducted on Semenya will remain private.
Fallout
The IAAF had accepted the resignation of Athletics South Africa (ASA) President Leonard Chuene from the IAAF Council and had opened a formal investigation into the handling of the Semenya affair by Chuene and ASA.
Chuene and his board have been suspended by South Africa's Olympic governing body pending an investigation after Chuene admitted he lied when he denied Semenya had undergone gender tests before the world championships.
The sports ministry said Semenya would decide her future on her own.
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"The implications of the scientific findings on Caster's health and life going forward will be analysed by Caster and she will make her own decision on her future"
SA sports ministry statement
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"The implications of the scientific findings on Caster's health and life going forward will be analysed by Caster and she will make her own decision on her future. Whatever she decides, ours is to respect her decision," the ministry said.
South Africa had requested the IAAF to apologise at the way the Semenya saga had been handled.
"Their response is: 'It is deeply regrettable that information of a confidential nature entered the public domain.'
"The IAAF is adamant that the public discourse did not originate with them," the ministry said.
Rumours
Australian newspaper the Daily Telegraph, citing an unnamed source, reported in September that Semenya was a hermaphrodite with both male and female sexual characteristics.
The IAAF has not confirmed the report.
Semenya and family members say the runner is a female and that publicity surrounding the case has caused hardships.
"It's not so easy," Semenya, a student at the University of Pretoria, told Britain's Guardian newspaper in an interview.
"The university is OK but there are not many other places I can go. People want to stare at me now. They want to touch me.
"I'm supposed to be famous but I don't think I like it so much."
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