Alleged transgender runner returns to sport
Published: 20 May, 2010, 14:28
Edited: 22 May, 2010, 18:58
Caster Semenya (AFP Photo / Paballo Thekiso)
TAGS: Sport, Scandal, Athletics
Several top female middle-distance runners could be absent from upcoming events in the near future. They are threatening to boycott races if reigning 800-meter World Champion Caster Semenya is allowed to participate.
The 19-year-old came to prominence after winning gold at the Berlin World Championships last August.
Back then, observers raised the question of her gender following the victory.
After a string of medical examinations, Semenya was allowed to continue competing by the IAAF.
The South African is planning to return to the track on June 24 in Zaragoza, but some of her 800-meter opponents are not thrilled.
2009 European Indoor Championships bronze medalist Elissa Piccione has called Semenya "a man," while the Russian gold medalist in that event, Maria Savinova, was quoted as saying "just look at her."
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PR101, You said - how are you sure? I agree that there are only two sporting categories men and women, and she seems to fall in between, she got the sack for this from the sport. But now she is coming back, it will be hard, there is no doubt, but I wish her luck. She needs to take things in both hands.












Count Cash I think it is pertinent to we accept that nature does not always follow the cultural norm. Inter-sex person bring fear into the social norms of sex/gender dimorphism. Intersex person show mixed male/female primary and secondary sex/gender chrematistics. In the past and in the West [I do not know what the rules are in Russia] children with ambiguous genitalia were intervened surgically. Doctors acted by assigning intersex child with one sex/gender but based on number of highly publicized cases, this practice has been abandoned in the West. At present in the West, inter-sex children are allowed to remain to be as nature produced them until they reach the age when they can decide for themselves whether to under go surgical intervention or not. I am sure you are familiar with the term hermaphrodite. The fact the Bible, or the Qu’ran says that there are only woman and man does not mean that nature follows religion. This woman is not trans-gendered but RT has to used this term perhaps because the reporter is not clear about different categories of gendered identities. I think the challenge we need to face is that not all human being fit neatly into male/female sex/gender dimorphism. The sport world is aware of this issue but does not want to open this issue because it will affect all of athletics.