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| Semenya's future is still unclear [AFP] |
The International Association of Athletics Federations has delayed a decision on the outcome of the gender tests on South African runner Caster Semenya.
The IAAF has said that the testing is not yet complete, despite expectations that it would announce its findings on Friday.
"The IAAF will not comment upon the medical aspects of Caster Semenya's case. The medical testing of the athlete is still to be completed,'' the IAAF said in a statement.
"There will be no discussion of Caster Semenya's case at the forthcoming IAAF Council Meeting. ... No further comment will be made on this subject until further notice.''
Revelations
The IAAF Council is set to meet on Friday and Saturday.
The 18-year-old Semenya won the women's 800-metre world championship title
in August in a season's best 1 minute, 55.45 seconds, but had her accomplishment overshadowed by gender test revelations.
Before the final, the IAAF said it had ordered gender tests be conducted on her because of her muscular build and recent rapid improvement in times.
Australian newspaper the Daily Telegraph, citing an unnamed source, reported in September that Semenya was a hermaphrodite with both male and female sexual characteristics.
The IAAF has not confirmed the report.
Semenya and family members say the runner is a female and that publicity surrounding the case has caused hardships.
"It's not so easy," Semenya, a student at the University of Pretoria, told Britain's Guardian newspaper in an interview.
"The university is OK but there are not many other places I can go. People want to stare at me now. They want to touch me.
"I'm supposed to be famous but I don't think I like it so much."
South Africans have reacted angrily to the case and the country's ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), has denounced the IAAF and Athletics South Africa (ASA) for their handling of the sensitive matter.
The ASA has apologised to Semenya and the public for the way they dealt with the gender verification process.
In South Africa, the case has also entangled the president of the South African athletics federation, Leonard Chuene.
In September, Chuene admitted he lied about his knowledge of gender tests performed on Semenya in South Africa before the worlds. He has since been suspended.
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