Can Caster Semenya medal at WCs?

[CookyMonzta]

Watching the race with my 16 yr old daughter and 14 yr old son, their comments were that she was a he.

Me and my schoolmates at school said similar things about the lunchlady with the moustache and sideburns... but curiously she was also the mother of one of our classmates.

Looks can be deceiving.

Which is why the controversy, and the dirty looks from the other competitors, I'm afraid, are not likely to end until Semenya gets pregnant.

[AS]

[quote="Dutra"]Watching the race with my 16 yr old daughter and 14 yr old son, their comments were that she was a he.

[quote]

Me and my schoolmates at school said similar things about the lunchlady with the moustache and sideburns... but curiously she was also the mother of one of our classmates.

Looks can be deceiving.

[Dutra]

I have to say that this "controversy" is sure to turn off most (all?) "casual" viewers...and, very likely, quite a few non-casual ones too. You just want to avert your eyes and hope the whole thing quietly goes away...

Watching the race with my 16 yr old daughter and 14 yr old son, their comments were that she was a he.

I only have 40+ years of experience here, so I'm something of a rube, but that race really seemed "wrong" in a major way.

not sure of the full story but it seemed to me at face value....a bit ridiculous that she was out there.

[rasb]

I only have 40+ years of experience here, so I'm something of a rube, but that race really seemed "wrong" in a major way.

Did those 40+ year also include this sight:

http://www.geocities.com/webalby1500fot ... a_Ivan.jpg

And that didn't seem "wrong"?

Yep, I was there in Seoul, both at the warmup track, and in the Stadium.
And it seemed very wrong at the time, and still does.

[AS]

I only have 40+ years of experience here, so I'm something of a rube, but that race really seemed "wrong" in a major way.

Did those 40+ year also include this sight:

http://www.geocities.com/webalby1500fot ... a_Ivan.jpg

And that didn't seem "wrong"?

[gruber]

I was just curious what IOC and IAAF policy is on such cases. Other than testosterone testing, are there any other guidelines?
I certainly wish this young person the best both on and off the track.

here's something from IOC
http://www.olympic.org/uk/news/media_ce ... elease=855

[kuha]

I have to say that this "controversy" is sure to turn off most (all?) "casual" viewers...and, very likely, quite a few non-casual ones too. You just want to avert your eyes and hope the whole thing quietly goes away...

I only have 40+ years of experience here, so I'm something of a rube, but that race really seemed "wrong" in a major way.

[Conor Dary]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/8210471.stm

[jpaule]

Remember when I posted this and got blasted by some for "rumors"?

[cacique]

what i'd like to know is why didn't the IAAF intervene in the situation with sundarajan?

[jpaule]

working out what exactly is her condition is a nightmare as there are so many variants

however, if she does possess rudimentary testes, then she will be producing more testosterone than a "true" female ( who produce small amounts from the adrenals/ovaries - even females require small levels of testo for normal physiological functioning )

obviously it's a fault of nature, but it still gives her natural born advantage over true females

very difficult situation...

Thanks, Eldrick, it is a difficult situation. I was just curious what IOC and IAAF policy is on such cases. Other than testosterone testing, are there any other guidelines?
I certainly wish this young person the best both on and off the track.

[eldrick]

working out what exactly is her condition is a nightmare as there are so many variants

however, if she does possess rudimentary testes, then she will be producing more testosterone than a "true" female ( who produce small amounts from the adrenals/ovaries - even females require small levels of testo for normal physiological functioning )

obviously it's a fault of nature, but it still gives her natural born advantage over true females

very difficult situation...

[cacique]

well, apparently it's not a rumor. this was discussed initially here:

http://mb.trackandfieldnews.com/discuss ... 66&start=0

the news article from south africa mentions in passing that she is a "hermaphrodite" but that doesn't clarify much what it means.

perhaps she was born intersexed (which btw is not the same as being transgender or transsexual). in any event, apparently she was declared a female for competition. hopefully this case won't end up like poor sundarajan, which was totally mishandled by the qataris. last we heard of her, she had attempted suicide.

i'd hope people would educate themselves about these issues and take them seriously, rather than make crude and ignorant comments.

PS: oh yeah, can't access the article posted by 3a. it says "server too busy."

[jpaule]

Rumor that she was born a hermaphrodite .
Do they test for this at worlds, olympics, national meets???
What's the deal if positive results?

rumor from where?

Yeah, I'm not too impressed by 'there's a rumor'. I see it it the same as drug talk. Stop spreading info that you have no facts about.

Read on Let's Run WC predictions. Outside of Vessey, would love to see her do well at worlds.

[3a]

http://blogs.sport24.co.za/runbird/Midd ... nce-Maiden

Posted tidbits about the SA World team including a detailed discussion on Caster. This was prior to her running sub 2 minutes and by a credible writer whom I have been reading for quite a while. This is where the "idea" comes from.

He writes that "she has had a series of tests" and is classed as female - I don't know what to make of it, TBH.

By all accounts, Caster is a complete Novice and wasn;t even running prior to 2008! :shock: