South Africa’s sports minister said on Friday there would be a “third world war” if Caster Semenya is barred from competing, after a media report that the gold medalist is a hermaphrodite.
“I think it would be the third world war. We will go to the highest levels of contesting such a decision,” sports minister Makhenkesi Stofile told journalists.
Stofile was reacting to a Sydney Daily Telegraph report that cited an unnamed source involved in tests on the world 800m world champion as saying Semenya had both male and female sex organs and no womb or ovaries.
South Africa’s government will carry out its own tests on Semenya before the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) makes a decision in November on the 18-year-old’s case, reported the Sapa news agency.
“We can’t wait for November,” Stofile told the briefing.
The teenager, who grew up in a rural northeast South Africa village, was meant to run a 4km race at the national cross-country championships in Pretoria yesterday but had pulled out, her coach said.
“We have decided that Caster will not run tomorrow,” said Michael Seme, adding that the runner was “not feeling well.”
Athletics officials and Semenya’s family reacted angrily to the article, which follows a media frenzy after the IAAF confirmed Semenya was subject to a sex verification probe before she won the 800m in Berlin last month.
“I’ve raised her as young girl and I have no doubt that she is a girl. As the family, we don’t care who is saying what and we also don’t care, even if she won’t be running internationally, but we will always support her athletic talent,” Semenya’s grandmother Maphuthi Sekgale told the Times newspaper.
The world athletics governing body downplayed any involvement with the report, saying in a statement released on Friday: “We would like to emphasize that these should not be considered as official statements by the IAAF.”
South African President Jacob Zuma took a swipe at the media on Friday, saying it had invaded the teenager’s privacy.
“I think we are faced with an unfortunate situation in this country where we claim to respect privacy and the rights of people, but then we do something that moves against those principles and values,” he said.
The ruling African National Congress (ANC) described the reports as “offensive and demeaning”, welcoming Stofile’s saying that legal advice would be sought on the saga.
“The South African government is right to explore all legal ways to protect Caster against violation of her rights,” the ANC said in a statement.
Champagne corks often pop and loud, boisterous cheers are usually heard around Constitution Dock when the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race line honors winner finishes in the Tasmanian state capital. There were no such celebrations this year when the defending champions on board LawConnect won the race in the early hours of yesterday morning, as it came about 24 hours after two sailors died on separate boats in sail boom accidents two hours apart on a storm-ravaged first night of the race. LawConnect, a 100-foot super maxi skippered by Australian tech millionaire Christian Beck, sailed up the River Derwent at just after 2:30am.
Elena Rybakina’s Kazakhstan yesterday dumped defending champions Germany out of the United Cup with world No. 2 Alexander Zverev sidelined by an arm injury barely a week away from the Australian Open. The upset in Perth sent the Kazakhs into the semi-finals of the 18-nation tournament. In Sydney, women’s world No. 2 Iga Swiatek led Poland into the last eight by winning a rematch of her 2023 French Open final against Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic. Britain also progressed to the quarter-finals with Katie Boulter’s dominant 6-2, 6-1 victory over Australia’s Olivia Gadecki enough to guarantee they won their group. The US and
HAT-TRICK PREP: World No. 1 Sabalenka clinched her first win of the season, as she aims to become the first woman in 20 years to win three Australian Opens in succession Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini and Taylor Fritz yesterday all clocked impressive wins as tennis powerhouses Italy and the US surged into the quarter-finals of the mixed-team United Cup. World No. 3 Gauff swept past Croatia’s Donna Vekic 6-4, 6-2 to avenge a loss at the Paris Olympics, while Fritz took care of Borna Coric 6-3, 6-2 in searing Perth heat. That was enough to put the Americans — last year’s winners — into a last-eight clash with China today, while Elena Rybakina’s Kazakhstan today are to meet defending champions Germany, led by Alexander Zverev, in the other Perth quarter-final. In Sydney, the in-form
Chess great Magnus Carlsen on Friday quit the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in New York after governing body FIDE barred the Norwegian from participating in a round at the tournament for wearing jeans. FIDE said in a statement that its dress code regulations were designed to “ensure professionalism and fairness for all participants.” It issued Carlsen a US$200 fine and gave him an opportunity to change into the correct attire, which the world No. 1 rejected, it said. Carlsen said he had a lunch meeting before the round and had to change quickly. “I put on a shirt, jacket and honestly like
RSS