UPDATE: Castor Semenya to Keep Gold Medal
November 19, 2009 by Emily Witko, Sports Media Intern @ GLAAD
This past August, Castor Semenya ran her 800-meter race in 1:55.45, faster than any other woman in the world this year. Her dramatic win and personal improvement elicited people to question her sex, which eventually led to an investigation. Reports of her gender-verification testing were leaked to the press saying that Semenya is intersex.
Today, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) announced that they will allow Semenya to keep the gold medal and prize money she won at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin, Germany. The IAAF also made it clear that her official gender-verification testing results will remain confidential.
In a statement on their website, the South African Sports Ministry said “We have agreed with the IAAF that whatever scientific tests were conducted legally within the IAAF regulations will be treated as a confidential matter between patient and doctor. As such there will be no public announcement of what the panel of scientists has found. We urge all South Africans and other people to respect this professional ethical and moral way of doing things.”
Now Semenya can be recognized as simply an amazing competitor and running superstar.
[...] South African runner Castor Semenya will get to keep the gold medal and prize money she won at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin, Germany, said the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), after her win was called into question by allegations that she is is intersex. via Twitter, Facebook, Digg, e-mail, and more 4:23 pm Politics and Law « Transgender Day of Remembrance | Previous Next | [...]