Government wants ASA chief axed over Semenya

South Africa's sports ministry has called for the axing of the country's athletics chief for lying about gender tests made on runner Caster Semenya before her World Championship victory last month.

Athletics South Africa (ASA) president Leonard Chuene admitted on Saturday that Semenya had been subjected to gender tests, something he had previously denied. He said he had lied to protect the 800m gold-medalist's privacy.

"We do not agree with Chuene's insistence that he lied in Semenya's interest, in fact we are of the view that his lies were to Semenya's detriment," Deputy Minister of Sport Gert Oosthuizen said in a statement.

"In light of this, we now request the membership of ASA to not only take disciplinary action against Chuene, but to fire him from his position as the president of ASA. If they fail to do so, they will be running the risk of being led by a liar."

Chuene, who has apologised for the incident, was not immediately available to comment.

He said he had denied the tests took place in order to protect Semenya's privacy and because the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) had made no request to withdraw the athlete from August's World Championships.

The IAAF began a gender verification process ahead of the race in Berlin and, pending the outcome, allowed Semenya to participate in the 800m final where she crushed her opponents.

The tests results are expected late November.

Chuene said he had ignored a request from ASA's team doctor to withdraw Semenya from the championships over gender concerns because the tests had needed to be kept confidential, adding that no South African code stipulated that she should not run.

The debate over Semenya's gender has angered many South Africans, who accuse the IAAF of racism for ordering the tests, saying her imposing physique is common in women's athletics.