Two seperate (large) articles handwringing and woeing over the wrongs and indignity of questioning an athletes performance.

I've always seen the Observer as the more balanced Cousin to the Guardian (i.e. Not a education story on every page)…so this pops up on Sunday.

Fuming.

…and to think it only took you till Wednesday to finish the sunday papers.

It was the defending a girl from a poor African background made good angle before any facts had become clear. At the very least they could have held off their high horse.

I think there is a high horse to be on in this case though. The IAAF have handled it horrifically. They shouldn't have made any public comment/press release until after they had completed their tests. Even then it's very difficult for them to do anything as even if it's shown she's biologically more male than female it's not as though she has done anything wrong.

If it were a doping case the IAAF would wait until both the A and B sample test results are back before saying/doing anything so why has this case been handled differently causing much distress for the athlete involved?

I think the way it has been handled is shameful.

The athlete has been raised as a girl, knows she is a girl, and all her circle regard her as a girl.

If it turns out that she has some male characteristics after all, this it will be devastating for her. This is the sort of thing that should be done privately so that she has time to adjust, if necessary.

I'm hoping for a result showing her to be 100% girl, and then some substantial compensation for a global shame job.

Yep, it's been handled extremely badly. A little more tact wouldn't have gone amiss.

FWIW this only became public because a fax was sent to the wrong place and then leaked. Sloppy work by one person in the IAAF but wilful distribution of the news by whoever received it.

As for the whole gender issue – this is quite interesting

I've asked the IAF to check out Hora's sexuality. No response yet.

IanMunro

I've asked the IAF to check out Hora's sexuality. No response yet.

Given the above they have probably faxed the results to someone else.

*checks fax machine*

I might have missed something with this story, so would be grateful if someone could fill in the gaps…

As I understand it she appeared from nowhere 4 weeks ago at the SA youth champs and the gossip and rumour started after that. The IAAF tried to persuade the SA athletics authority not to add her to the team until the rumours had been sorted but they were not having any of it. The story only came to light when someone accidentally faxed the info to the wrong person. It all got into the public domain before the race and she had to race in some serious public glare. Have I missed anything?

What I want to know is what started the rumours – was it the rapid change in form from average to brilliant in a matter of weeks or was it her physical appearance? It does appear that she has become a political porn with the ANC taking up her cause in SA and accusing white South Africans of racism for not supporting her on her homecoming – like she didn't have enough problems!

I see in the news yesterday that indeed her test results do show far higher testosterone levels than would be normal for a woman though I don't think anyone has pointed to any malpractice (al la Landis) just yet. I wonder what will happen long term if it is concluded that she is a bit of genetic "freak" (not the right PC word I guess) but on balance more woman than man. I would imagine if that's the case, as long as she remains fit, she should win every race she enters until she chooses to retire. That could be a bit disheartening if you are one of her rivals although I guess genetic fortune pays a large part in who makes it to the top in sport.

One last comment – Maria Mutola and Kelly Holmes were the main dominant forces in this event in the past and both have said they were subject to gender testing in the past so it's nothing new. It's fair play for the press to criticise the way she has been treated before any proof of wrong doing has come about but should hold comment on if testing in itself is wrong or unjust.

They should have kept it quiet until the tests were done, no doubt about that.

The athlete has been raised as a girl, knows she is a girl, and all her circle regard her as a girl.

Same could be said of many transexuals, doesn't mean they should compete as girls.

It's been handled poorly and I've no idea how you go about determining what category someone with mixed traits should compete in!

Its been handled in a mind blowing bad manner. She could have an extra sex chromosome which is male (ie XXY rather than XX or XY from males) it would be an horrific thing to find out and she, her family and her docotors would know nothing about it.

I'm going to start reading the Observer. Anything which gets Hora's knickers in a twist has to be good.

She could have an extra sex chromosome which is male it would be an horrific thing to find out and she, her family and her doctors would know nothing about it.

Yep, apparently her mother has expressed outrage at the way the whole thing has been handled, and is quoted as saying, "This is a real kick in the bollox for my daughter"

AndyP:
I'm going to start reading the Observer. Anything which gets Hora's knickers in a twist has to be good.

I'm going to start buying 2 😉

ernie_lynch – bad, bad, man – I laughed out loud and felt very guilty at the same time.

😉

I stopped buying the Grauniad after an article on the 1994 NI peace agreement that was so biased I nearly threw it in the river I was camping beside.

The IAAF have said that she can keep her gold medal after her father, Fatima Whitbread, confirmed she is a girl.

apparently there are 19 intersex chromosomal conditions

so what category should an intersex person race in, male or female?

Ernie, that was indeed a bad joke…..but I laughed. Lots. 🙂

it's just one more person who's been fed through the mincer, chewed up, spat out and trampled on by the media
move on – it'll be someone different tomorrow
hopefully hora 😀

"become a political porn"

Those kinky politicians again.

I stopped buying the Grauniad after an article on the 1994 NI peace agreement that was so biased I nearly threw it in the river

So what non-biased newspaper do you read now cynic-al ?

But seriously, look at "it".

Even if it needs to pi$$ sitting down, the whole shape of the body is male. It doesnt go in and out in the right places, and I dont mean the trad hourglass figure, but theres simply no "ar$e" on it, the bone structure looks all wrong.

Sorry, thats a bloke with a ****.

Anyone else noticed her name looks like "Castrated Semen"

Is there a clue there?

aren't most athletes in the jumping higher/running faster/throwing further events freaks of nature in some way, shape or form?

How ironic that Caster Semenya is an anagram of YES A SECRET MAN (or vice versa).