Athletics South Africa suspended by governing body over Caster Semenya gender tests

Athletics South Africa suspended by governing body

JOHANNESBURG — South Africa’s Olympic governing body has suspended Athletics South Africa in the fallout over Caster Semenya’s gender tests.

The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee said in a statement it was suspending the track organization immediately.

The action comes after Athletics South Africa’s attorneys sent a letter saying the decision by the committee a day earlier to suspend the ASA president Leonard Chuene and board was “unreasonable” and “unfair.”

The Olympic committee said the letter indicated ASA “will not respect (its) directives and/or resolutions.”

Semenya won the 800-meters at the world championships at Berlin in August after the IAAF said it had ordered gender tests. Chuene later said he lied about his knowledge of the tests.