***March 30, 2010: Caster Semenya was denied to race and has spoken for the first time:
“I hereby publicly announce my return to athletics competitions,” Semenya said Tuesday shortly after a meet in South Africa denied the 19-year-old’s request to run. “I am an athlete first and foremost and it is vital for my competitiveness, my well being and for my preparations for events during the European summer that I measure my performance against other athletes.”
Caster made it clear she was not interested in talking with the media, “Why would I want to talk to media. I don’t want to talk to you.” In the statement, Caster also said: “I have been subjected to unwarranted and invasive scrutiny of the most intimate and private details of my being.”
March 29, 2010: When Caster Semenya, 19-years-old, won the women’s 800-metre race during the 2009 world championships she raised a lot of questions. Based on dramatic improvement in run times and her muscular build, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) ordered Caster to undergo gender tests because they couldn’t believe that simple hard work, dedication and God given talent could produce such results.
The Associated Press reported, “She has not run competitively since [the gender tests], and the IAAF is still reviewing the test results to determine [Caster’s] eligibility. The organization has refused to confirm or deny Australian media reports that the tests indicate [Caster] has both male and female sex organs.”
While there has not been a formal suspension or ban of Caster competing, it has been speculated that she agreed to wait for formal results. Today, her lawyers were petitioning the IAAF to clear Caster so she could run in the Yellow Pages Series V meet, March 30th without repercussions.
South Africa Athletics acting head, Ray Mali, said, “If the IAAF say no and Caster goes on to run it could have far-reaching implications for athletics. I am trying to bring the IAAF on board.”
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