Athletic Training Student Recognized at Athletics Straight-A Luncheon

 

Athletic Training Student JJ Hannigan, a track and field athlete at SLU, was one of 53 Billiken student-athletes recognized at the Straight-A luncheon at Chaifetz Arena.  He was honored for the second consecutive year. JJ is a junior and enters the professional phase of the program this summer.  His faculty guest was Dr. Tony Breitbach, SLU ATEP Program Director.

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ASA Chief Suspended Over Semenya Gender Row

You'll recall the story of Caster Semenya, world women's 800m champion from South Africa. She has both male and female organs, thus being a hermaphrodite. Today, the president of Athletics South Africa (ASA) has been suspended for lying about his involvement in the case.

In fact, South Africa's Olympic governing body, Sascoc, disciplined the entire board, and particularly Leonard Chuene, ASA chief.

Revelations came on Sept. 19th when, after weeks of denials, Chuene admitted at a press conference that he was fully aware there were questions over Semenya's gender.
He also admitted that he knew gender testing had been performed on Semenya on August 7th in Pretoria, which was a week before Semenya won gold in Berlin. Finally, he admitted that he was advised by team doctor Harold Adams to withdraw her from the 800m final.

Chuene later said he lied about his knowledge of the tests to protect Semenya's privacy.

The ASA issued a press release officially apologizing to Caster Semenya and her family:

"Athletics South Africa (ASA) has taken note of the African National Congress Caster Semenya Support Task Team media statement issued on 16 October relating to Caster Semenya and the gender verification tests conducted on her.

"ASA appreciates the ANC's position on this matter, fully welcomes and accepts without any reservations the findings and recommendations of the task team.

"Consequently, Athletics South Africa wishes to publicly and unconditionally apologise to Caster Semenya and her family, the President of South Africa as well as to all South Africans for the handling of her gender verification processes and the subsequent aftermath."

Think Steroids Testing is Embarrassing? Ask Caster Semenya

Caster Semenya

A-Rod, Barry Bonds, and others athletes who have undergone steroids testing should be happy. That's nothing compared to the indignities being cast upon Caster Semenya (photo above).

Caster Semenya photos hint at the issue. Or perhaps not, unless you know that Caster Semenya is a woman. She is an 18-year-old South African who won the 800-meter gold medal yesterday, at the World Track and Field Championships.

Looking at the Caster Semenya photos, you'd have to think "that's one muscular woman." Obviously she's not bodybuilder muscular, but she is muscular. It's not just that however: a deep voice, and rapid improvement since last year (she has dropped her times in the 800m 9 seconds) lead to suspicion over performance-enhancing drugs, which could, in fact, also lead to gender-bending physicality on a woman.

However, besides the expected drug testing, Caster Semenya must be examined by, among others, a gynecologist, psychologist and endocrinologist.

Jenny Meadows

A quick comparison between Caster Semenya photos and those of Jenny Meadows, from the U.K. and bronze medal winner, show that Meadows exhibits the lean, still muscular look of a middle-distance runner. However, Meadows looks pretty hot in a dress, while Semenya, probably not so much.

Jenny Meadows

The testing, announced yesterday, has to be embarrassing to Caster Semenya. Photo comparisons with someone like Meadows aside, this should have been handled discreetly by South Africa before the games. It's clear from reports that the IAAF tried to keep this all quiet, but once it leaked, it was all over the web.

Results of the tests are not expected until next month.