Runner is a 'hermaphrodite'

[DiscGo]

Runner is a 'Hermaphrodite'

http://images.mirror.co.uk/upl/m4/aug2009/7/8/caster-semenya-pic-getty-489275065.jpg

THE controversy over gender row champion runner Caster Semenya deepened today

[DiscGo]

I almost feel like I am spreading gossip for posting this link. I don't know if you guys have been following this story but I have been enthralled by it. In the end, I can't think of a worse way to find out you are a hermaphrodite than to have the whole world find out at the same time.

[Iceaxe]

I've been following this pretty close.... interesting conundrum.

[BruteForce]

Umm.. Sorry to break the PC bubble, but you can't tell me that he/she didn't know something was up!?!? :ne_nau:

[Iceaxe]

Umm.. Sorry to break the PC bubble, but you can't tell me that he/she didn't know something was up!?!? :ne_nau:

Read the article.... from the outside she looks all girl and has the proper girly parts. After that she is only 18 which means she just went through puberty... tell me one kid that really understood what was happening to them when they went through puberty.

:popcorn:

[DiscGo]

Read the article.... from the outside she looks all girl and has the proper girly parts. After that she is only 18 which means she just went through puberty... tell me one kid that really understood what was happening to them when they went through puberty.


Yeah, if you read the article it will tell you that she only has female genitalia on the outside but does have testicles (on the inside). If you have followed this story at all, you will know that she has shown her private area to many different coaches at different races because she has long been rumored to be a man, but she herself just found out about being a hermaphrodite.

[Jaxx]

She looks 100% man in that picture. I would have never guessed woman. Sad.

[Iceaxe]

Reminds me of this....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9e_Richards

[quote]Ren

[Iceaxe]

Semenya withdraws from race amidst reports she's hermaphrodite
By Chris Chase

Caster Semenya, the 18-year old at the center of one of the biggest gender scandals in sports history, withdrew from a weekend race in South Africa amidst unconfirmed reports that her gender tests have revealed that she has both male and female sexual organs.

She was scheduled to compete in the 4,000 meters at the national cross country championships in Pretoria. Semenya's coach, Michael Seme, says his runner "isn't feeling well".

Yesterday, unsubstantiated reports from Australia and England said that Semenya's tests showed that she has no womb or ovaries and produces testosterone levels three times higher than a normal woman. The IAAF thinly denies the reports. (The organization's spokesman says he hasn't "seen" the results, which doesn't mean he hasn't "heard" the results. Nor has the IAAF come out and said that the reports are false.)

It's another chapter in an unfortunate story. It's easy to get caught up in the sensationalized aspects of Semenya's tale, but let's not forget that she's still just a teenager who is now the centerpiece of an embarrassing worldwide scandal. No matter how things progressed to this point (and we'll get to that later), Semenya is a victim in this story.

But let's operate under assumption that the tests were accurate and that Semenya is a hermaphrodite. If so, then there are three main questions that will need to be answered soon:

1) Will Semenya be stripped of her gold medal?

Probably. It's hard to imagine that the IAAF would allow Semenya to keep the gold after what these tests reveal. The rules explicitly state that a "gender verification" situation has to be approved and overseen by medical authorities. Semenya didn't do this. Fair or not, a rule is a rule.

2) Will Semenya ever be allowed to run again?

Reading the IAAF rules, it would appear that Semenya would be allowed to run if her condition was treated. Whether or not she would want to is anyone's guess. But there's also a chance she could be banned from running based on the answer to the next question.

3) Who knew about this and when did they know?

We haven't gotten this far down the road yet, but the next logical step in the progression of this sordid affair is whether there was a coverup involved. Regardless of whether the intentions of Semenya and her handlers were nefarious, they had to know of her ambiguous gender. Not having ovaries isn't something that goes unnoticed. If they did, then at what point did this turn from an unfortunate medical situation into outright deception?

If Semenya was an innocent running without knowledge of her condition, then there's not much the IAAF could do other than strip her medal and advise her on how to regain eligibility. But if it can be determined that she knew she was running illegally (which would be tough to prove, but I'm starting to get the feeling that people knew -- how else would other coaches have known to order gender tests?) then there could be heavy sanctions down the road.

These questions will be discussed in the coming weeks and will be the center of attention when the IAAF officially releases its findings in November. If you thought the tale of Caster Semenya was strange before, it's just getting started.



:cool2:

[Deathcricket]

My opinion. As long as she wasn't genetically modified or changed, and was just born that way. Let her compete in whatever gender she most resembles. Obviously men and women have different strengths and weaknesses. But you cant ban a woman for being born "manly" any more than you can ban man "a" for being genetically superior to man "b".

Interesting story though, I hadn't seen it before. What a tricky thing to have to decide.