Let Caster Run!

The saga of Caster Semenya is so inhumane, it boggles my mind. In case you haven't heard, the women's 800m gold medal-winner from South Africa has been subjected to gender verification by the IAAF. She recently announced her return to competitive racing, but sadly, her own country continues to prohibit her from racing pending the public announcement of the results. What's the harm in allowing her to race until the test results are released? It's not as if they are preserving the country's image in track and field; she already represented South Africa in the 2009 world championships. Moreover, the IAAF has not rescinded her medal; why should her own country disallow her from racing?

Of course, there's no way in our new media society that rumors of Semenya's gender could have been surpressed. However, it's unconscionable to keep her out of racing until the test results are publicly reported. She has told the world that she is female, and until anyone produces incontrovertible evidence she is lying, she deserves the benefit of the doubt. Now that her face has been splashed across major news sources worldwide, imagine the difficulty of living a normal life, all sports aside.

Yes, there is irony in drawing attention to her case in order to protest the attention that her case has attracted so far. However, I have heard very little in the way of her defense, and she deserves to be given a chance. Let's leave determination of gender to the experts and just enjoy the talents of one of the fastest women on earth. This is to say nothing of the claims that gender verification is inherently unfair.

Finally, I do have a sense of humor and of course its amusing that a woman who's gender is questioned would have the name Semenya. That doesn't detract from the gravity of the situation, though. Let her run.