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Semenya controversy prompts gender rules for 2012 Olympics

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Summary of story from Daily Mail, April 4, 2011

New guidelines for assessing Olympic athletes’ gender are to be announced today by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The decision to introduce official rules and tests for determining gender is the result of the Caster Semenya case in 2009.

South African runner Semenya won the women’s 800m at the world atheletics championships in Berlin two years ago. Doubt was subsequently cast on her gender and she was forced to endure a year-long wait before her victory was confirmed (see earlier WVoN story).

The handing of the affair by the International Association of Athletics Federations was strongly criticised, and by introducing these new guidelines the IOC hopes to avoid repeating the same controversy.

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