BEELD: Volgens Davies het mnr. Leonard Chuene, president van ASA, die laaste paar weke soveel onwaarhede rondom die IAAF se hantering van Semenya se saak verkondig dat dit beslis vir hom ’n verleentheid gaan word wanneer die feite bekend gemaak word.
Chuene gaan dalk geen keuse hê as om te bedank as president van ASA nie, het hy gesê. Davies het gesê dit is jammer dat ASA toegelaat het dat politici by die saak betrokke raak sonder dat hulle al die feite tot hul beskikking het.
Ongeag die uitslae sal Semenya die goue medalje behou wat sy in Berlyn gewen het, asook die $60?000 (sowat R450?000) vir haar eerste plek.
Hy het gesê daar is geen mediese toetse in Suid-Afrika op Semenya gedoen nie, ten spyte daarvan dat die IAAF dr. Harold Adams, die SA spandokter wat op die mediese paneel van die IAAF en ASA dien, opdrag gegee het om toe te sien dat dit gedoen word.
SHOOT: The plot thickens. My view was Chuene doth protesteth too much. Since no one could know the results of those tests, it would always have been prudent to say less, rather than make grandiose statements from a grandstand. Sure, you can win the popular vote throwing the racism card, but when the facts emerge, they're simply that - the facts.
From the article it seems Semenya is not co-operating or is not reachable, for the moment. That could change, and one expects we'll know more and know better soon.
Die Internasionale Vereniging van Atletiekfederasies (IAAF) wil dringend praat met Caster Semenya, Suid-Afrika se wêreldkampioen in die 800 m vir vroue, maar word skynbaar deur Atletiek Suid-Afrika (ASA) verhinder.
Die IAAF het gister bevestig hy het die uitslae van die geslagstoetse op Semenya ontvang.
Dit sal eers openbaar gemaak word nadat ander deskundiges dit ook bestudeer het en Semenya daaroor ingelig is.
Volgens Davies val versoeke van die IAAF aan ASA om met haar in verbinding te tree tot dusver op dowe ore.
“ASA se optrede kan ernstige gevolge vir Semenya inhou as ons nie binnekort met haar self kan praat nie. In kort kom dit daarop neer dat sy nie wil saamwerk nie.
“As dit ’n dwelmverwante probleem was, sou sy al lankal geskors gewees het, maar hierdie is ’n unieke probleem waarvoor die IAAF se reëls nie voorsiening maak nie. Dit is vir ons belangrik om met haar oor die uitslae van die toetse te gesels,” het Davies gesê.
Do Pistorius' prosthesus give him an unnatural advantage over other athletes? Of course they do. Should he be banned from competing? Well, how would a field feel about his competing? I would suggest that he be allowed to compete, in the spirit of Sportsmanship, but in the case where he reaches the top 3 (and wins a medal), the 4th placed finisher be given a medal as well. In other words, Pistorius' participation ought to enhance and add to competitive nature of the sport, rather than prevent one other person from gaining glory.
Some athletes may not be happy with the distraction and complications involved, especially where a limited number of slots are available for a final. They would be completely justified, especially at high level events, from requesting that Pistorius stand down to allow them their place. I don't believe a blanket concession or ban is the answer. I think his competitors need to participate in the decision. This requires fairly high levels of administration, which brings us to the question: do we care enough about the individual athlete to want to put a lot of people through this? I hope we do. Consultation will have to be on a race-by-race basis. I'm not sure how many athletics bodies will be chuffed about the extra rigmarole involved in that.
Obviously it is inspiring to see a disabled athlete aspire to excel, but let's not kid ourselves that everyone is on the same playing field.
I did think about an analogy to Pistorius' carbon fibre blades, and there are many. There is the technology used in cycling timetrials and triathlons. But here everyone is free to experiment with materials. There is a big difference, for example, in a swimmer's performance when wearing a triathlon wetsuit and without. So, if I was doing a triathlon, and no one was allowed to wear a wetsuit in the swim leg, but an exception was made for a disabled athlete, would that bother me? No, I'd welcome the enthusiasm and guts, I'd welcome the participation aspect, but I'd feel differently if this guy kept winning.
Once again, I don't think these athletes should be banned. I think they should be allowed to measure themselves against able-bodied athletes, and I think this may be exciting to see. But when they achieve podium positions, an extra medal should be made available, rather than having a disabled athlete knock out some other competitor.
I believe allowing these athletes their place in sport inspires more than it detracts from the sport, and its constituents, and this ought to be the goal. Whatever happens, we're due to hear an answer soon.
clipped from www.beeld.com
