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Caster Semenya of South Africa celebrates after winning - Source: Photosport
South Africa's minister of sport has blasted the country's suspended athletics chief Leonard Chuene for allowing Caster Semenya to run at last year's World Championships, despite being aware of potential repercussions.
The 19-year-old shot to fame after claiming the 800 metres title in Berlin.
But she was subsequently banned by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) due to unusually high levels of testosterone, which raised doubts about her gender.
Reverend Makhenkesi Stofile, the Sport and Recreation head, accused Chuene of committing "gross misconduct" by defying medical advice to allow the teenager to run.
Athletics South Africa (ASA) doctor Harold Adams, also part of the IAAF committee on health and medicine, had advised Chuene to withdraw Semenya from the race.
Addressing MPs in front of the sport portfolio committee on the results of a forensic report into the finances of ASA, Stofile said:
"They advised that this lady should not run, because it was going to create a psychological problem for her to run and be queried.
"The report found that Mr Chuene ignored that professional advice and went ahead.
"As such, they accuse him of gross misconduct as well as bringing Athletics SA and the sport of athletics and Sascoc (South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee) into disrepute."
Semenya has been steadily returning to the track since July, but is still way off the personal best she set in Berlin as she prepares for her biggest test of the season at next month's Commonwealth Games.
She has also received plenty of criticism from fellow athletes, who continue to question whether she does belong in the sport.
Stofile called for action to be taken against Chuene.
He continued: "It was a rude invasion into the privacy of a young lady and a rude violation of her rights.
"He must face disciplinary hearings."
But Stofile said a lesson had been learnt from the debacle.
He added: "What needs to be done is for due process to take place and for those things to be tested in court.
"Scientists have now laid a benchmark for the world on what constitutes fairness and gender equity for sport."
