South African athlete’s return reignites gender debate
August 25th, 2010 by Siobhan.McGuirk
Caster Semenya made a triumphant return to athletics this week, one year after being ordered to undergo gender verification testing. Her victory has provoked frustration among her competitors, however, reigniting debates over gender and sport.
The South African runner won the World Challenge 800m on Sunday, in the Berlin Olympic Stadium, where she was named World Champion in 2009. It was only her third competitive race following an eleven-month suspension during which she was found to be biologically female and cleared fit to compete against other women by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
Semenya, 19, clocked in at just under two minutes, a world class time. Although her introduction to the crowd was met by the biggest cheer of the day, some of her competitors are unhappy, The Telegraph reports.
Canadian Diane Cummins, who came in eighth, aired her frustrations with the authorities. “If we give an honest opinion, we’re either seen as bad sports or we’re not happy because we’re being beaten. [But] I have been beaten tons of times by athletes who we feel are doing it in the realm of what is considered female.
“Unfortunately for Caster, she’s grown up in an environment that is complicated not just for her but for human science. Even if she is a female, she’s on the very fringe of the normal athlete female biological composition from what I understand of hormone testing.”
Cummins’ words echoed sentiments expressed in Berlin last year, when Italy’s Elisa Cusma Piccione, who took Bronze on Sunday, controversially stated: “For me, she is a man.”
For Britain’s Jemma Simpson, other athletes’ views are simply being ignored. “No way is it a personal issue but it’s a debate about what is right and fair for everyone. It’s a really tough subject and a lot of people are very careful about what they say. You have to be.”
Last year racing authorities came under fire for failing to offer adequate support to Semenya as the then 18-year-old came under the international media spotlight. Before Sunday’s race she referred to the time as, “11 really hard months in which I’ve been through a lot” before adding, “I’m looking forward to being on the track once again.”
She has now been named in the South Africa Commonwealth Games squad. Her coach Michael Seme was unequivocal in response to her competitors concerns. He told the BBC: “If these athletes don’t want to come and run, it’s up to them. We’re just looking forward to new things and shouldn’t be talking about the old ones.”
Her competitors’ response, however, suggests that the debate will not go away soon. There seems to be universal agreement in one area, at least: that Semenya is likely to dominate the field for years to come, once she returns to full fitness.
Cummins needs to shut the hell up. Sorry.
Catherine ∼ August 25th, 2010 9:15 pm