Rubbishing the reports, ASA said the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) will only release the results of the tests on 18-year-old Semenya in November.

ASA president Leonard Chueane was responding to newspaper reports in Australia and England that gender tests by the IAAF have revealed that Semenya is an hermaphrodite -- a person with both male and female characteristics.

The reports stated that Semenya has internal testicles and does not have any uterus or ovaries.

Chueane said the reports were unfounded as the IAAF had stated that the results of the tests would only be released to Semenya in November.

"These are insulting words which the media are using but we are in the dark. The tests are still going on. They have nothing. It will be revealed in November. The IAAF has distanced itself from the claims and would only issue a statement in Monaco in November.
"I have been in touch with the IAAF about the Caster debacle and they told me not to take the claims against the youngster seriously until they issue an official statement in this regard. We have been unfazed about what has been said and written about Caster."

A local sports scientist, Ross Tucker, said the latest saga was "very sad" because both the IAAF and ASA had not come out openly to quell all the rumour mongering.

"The IAAF has tried to take the prudent approach but waiting to release the test report. But the longer they wait the more chances of more leaks in the next few days and I think it will get even more worse for Caster Semenya in the next couple of weeks," he said.

"I think for Caster if the reports are accurate she should have an operation as soon as possible to remove the internal testicles or it will become malignant and cause cancer.
Once she does the operation, she can continue with her athletics career without any problem. At the moment it's very unsavoury for her," said Tucker.

The chairperson of Sports Portfolio Committee in the Parliament, Butana Khompela, said they would not abandon Semenya "whether she's a man or woman".

"Why should we comment on something when we don't have the test reports in our hand," he said.

"The manner in which this report is being leaked is not good for Semenya. We are not going to allow this to destroy our Semenya. She will have our full support.
"We are not going to abandon Caster Semenya."

Only two weeks ago when Caster returned from the World Championships in Berlin, she was given a rousing welcome by the government, sporting officials and the public at large.