IAAF won't confirm Semenya hermaphrodite reports

ATHLETICS officials have refused to confirm reports that controversial runner Caster Semenya has failed a gender test.

KEEPING HER MEDAL: Caster Semenya won't lose the 800m gold won in Berlin. Great Britain's Jenny Meadows won bronze in the same race

Semenya won the women's 800m title at last month's World Championships in Berlin - despite running under a cloud of suspicion.

Earlier this week the International Association of Athletics Federations confirmed they would not strip the athlete of that medal because they believed Semenya entered the women's event in good faith.

However, early gender test results have shown the 18-year old is a hermaphrodite, according to newspaper reports in Australia.

It is claimed Semenya has no womb or ovaries and has internal male sexual organs, which produce testosterone.

However, urine tests that measure male hormone levels have come back negative.

IAAF spokesman Nick Davies confirmed results of the tests were now known by the world governing body - but refused to go into further details.

"We have the final results from the specialist tests carried out in Germany," he said.

"These now need to be interpreted by a panel of experts drawn from the IAAF Medical Commission and some outside specialists as well.

"It is likely that we will be in a position to then discuss the results, in private, with Semenya, and decide on the course of action and any public announcement.

"Nothing will therefore be announced or confirmed until we are in a position to have the expert evaluation of the results, and discuss them with the athlete.

"We cannot give an exact timing but probably within the next couple of weeks."

Semenya has tried to shrug off the controversy by labeling speculation 'a joke' - and even appeared as a cover star on a South African magazine, following a glamorous makeover.

Earlier this week her coach Wilfried Daniels quit - criticising the handling of the case by Athletics South Africa.

In turn they have expressed fury at the manner the IAAF have conducted themselves - and leading South African politicians have accused the track and field governing body of both racism and sexism.