The African National Congress Women’s League (ANCWL) has condemned unwarranted speculation by global media on South African gold medallist Caster Semenya’s gender, it said in a statement.
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In a Sports Illustrated article, the journalist said Semenya “will win a gold medal” come 20 August in the women’s 800meters race at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
South Africans have not taken kindly to these and other comments and have taken to social media to defend their star.
Since she shot into the limelight and effortlessly whizzed past her panting competitors in the 800 M race, Caster Semenya’s sex has been a source of controversy and even ridicule.
The ANC Women’s League says the criticism is “humiliating and demoralising” and “creates the impression an African woman can’t excel in sport”.
And in modern society which is increasingly leaning towards viewing gender on a scale as opposed to opposites, opinion is firmly behind Semenya’s right to represent her country in Brazil.
“No amount of public humiliation can change her gender”, the statement read.
Semenya – who won World Championships gold in the 800m in 2009 and added an Olympic silver at London 2012 – has levels of testosterone levels three times higher than is expected in women due to hyperandrogenism.
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“I’ve been subjected to unwarranted and invasive scrutiny of the most intimate and private details of my being”, Semenya said, as reported by Daily Mail Online.
