The media storm that has surfaced concerning the newest 800-metre world champion Caster Semenya caught my attention after having spent the past months writing about hormones, gender, and the way genes and culture foster visible sexual distinctions. The 18-year-old won gold at the World Athletics Championships by crushing competitors in just one minute and 55.45 seconds:
While South Africans have rallied around their “Golden Girl“, the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) requested that her gender be verified. The African National Congress (ANC) has condemned speculation, calling Semenya a role model. Many family members have come forward to speak with press, including Semenya’s 80-year-old grandmother who says she had long been teased about her boyish looks.
For now we’ll have to wait and see how the controversy plays out, but regardless, let me be completely clear about one particular point: Appearances. The human body comes in many shapes and sizes, packing a cocktail of genes and hormones that drive the behavior and traits we perceive as masculine or feminine. In other words, what we observe is not merely determined by X and Y chromosomes, an affinity for dolls or trucks, and so on. Before jumping to conclusions, remember that lesson from grade school and don’t judge a book by its cover.
August 20th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
You will note that these women all have narrow hips. I read somewhere that few female runners are able to birth children, because their pelvic openings are too narrow. In effect, a genetic trait that is selected against by reproductive considerations is selected for by athletic competitions. Women as a group are not able to run as fast as men (as a group) because men have narrow pelvises, which permit faster running. So, how do we define “female” in such cases? Females generally have wide pelvises; these runners do not. Do we define them by straightforward genetic factors? At what point does our search for athletic excellence lead us to genetically extreme humans?
August 20th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Eras, the sex/gender distinction works well enough for most of us to get by. Though our usual lexicography isn’t very interesting to a loudmouth media fueled by the sour grapes of the losing competitors.
I’m not sure what you mean by “favor”. You could mean socially favor, or favor in terms of natural selection.
August 20th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
This also happened in the 2006 Asian Games in the case of an Indian athlete, Santhi Soundarajan. A failed gender test led to her being stripped of her silver medal and it led the poor girl to attempt suicide.
August 20th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Unfortunate incident when the world should bow to an icon in the making
August 21st, 2009 at 2:09 am
This the kind of idiocy that gives Africans and blacks a bad name.
First of all, the head of South African Athletics is a thoroughly degenerate crook with no integrity whatsoever. He’s a 55 year-old married man with four kids whose text messages to his 21-year-old secretary go on about ejaculating in her, etc.
Secondly, absolutely everything we know about Caster indicates he’s male. This is not a case of SA Sport providing evidence that indicates Caster is female and that evidence being challenged, this is a case of SA Sport telling the world an athlete who looks, talks and acts like a boy is actually a girl and that anyone who disputes this is racist.
It’s a case of SA Sport telling the world that common sense is racism, that whenever SA authorities are challenged that’s racism, that even when the tests come back showing Caster is a male, that will be racism too.
That’s how idiotic this whole disgraceful episode is.
The idiocy at work here is so deep it boggles the mind. Are we to believe South African parents routinely give girls boy’s names? If not, how do these nincompoops explain a girl named “Caster”?
There is no controversy here, just a bunch of idiots in South Africa trying to perpetuate a fraud.
I’m an African American and I’m shamed by this attempt to introduce Voodoo into international athletics. We all should be.
ricland
August 21st, 2009 at 2:53 am
Viva Caster, viva. Congratulations, not only on a world class performance, but also on showing such incredible character and strength throughout this crazy witch hunt.
Thank God, we live in South Africa where our constitution values ALL people.
You have the beloved country behind you. You go GIRL!
August 21st, 2009 at 3:17 am
Thank you very much for your blog posts. I am a south african and am appauled at the way this situation has been handled. Let us bear in mind that this girl is only 18 years old, has anybody thought about the long term hurts and trauma that this media probe will have on her? in my opinion, if Caster is to be tested for her gender/sex, so should all other female runners. I have read thats its not such an easy thing as having female reproductive organs, but that they will check for hormonal abnormalities as well. I think they should check all female runners for these abnormalities as you may have a female looking runner who has the same hormonal abnormalities as “male looking” caster has. I am also disappointed at the lack of sportsmanship displayed by the other runners…did you notice that not a single of the other runners congratulated her on her victory??? One thing we forget as a society is that Caster is a human being, someone’s child, and not some scientific experiment…maybe we as a society should be genetically tested to see if we are HUMAN
August 21st, 2009 at 3:39 am
You can read more about intersex (hermaphroditism) here:
http://bit.ly/9wKjV
August 21st, 2009 at 5:58 am
Yes, she certainly does have the appearance of a man. If she had lost the race, would a gender test be required? Was the Mozambique athlete, amongst others, subjected to any gender test? Who are we to question the Creator’s work? He made each of us special in his own sight. My prayers are with you, Semenya. God bless you.
August 21st, 2009 at 6:15 am
Semenya, you did not create yourself. Pray for your enemies that persecute you. I will be praying for you too.
August 21st, 2009 at 6:39 am
Leave the girl alone. Can you people create humans?
August 21st, 2009 at 7:42 am
It is only obvious that there would be some questions of gender in Caster’s case. Imagine if your son brought her home to meet the family. Would you have any questions then? Regardless of any opinions we might have, I do agree that if she was allowed to compete without first bringing up these questions, these same questions shouldn’t be an issue in this matter. Now, if she wants to compete from now on, those questions should be addressed before the competition.
August 21st, 2009 at 9:43 am
Whether the runners have narrow hips or not, they have female skeletons, and have XX chromosomes.
If I had to guess, Caster Semenya has CAIS, (Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome) she looks like she has a male bone structure, her voice is pretty deep, and her muscle tone is well developed.
South African sport/track officials shouldn’t allow her to compete in Berlin without clearing up the biological sex issue, and they knew about the IAAF demands now for a couple weeks.
I also don’t see the IAAF demanding such a rigorous set of test for an athlete unless they found something in her urine test.
If she is allowed to compete, she should break the world records for the 400 and 800 metres,
August 21st, 2009 at 11:18 am
Here’s another interesting problem: let’s suppose that testing reveals that Ms. Semanya does in fact have XX chromosomes, but is also possessed of genetic abnormalities such as CAIS or a dramatic absence of estrogen or some other severe gender abnormality. Should her victories be nullified because she is an extreme genetic abnormality? Is it fair to genetically normal female competitors to have to compete with somebody like this? What is “fair” in such situations? After all, sports seeks to identify the extremes: the fastest, the highest, the strongest. Is there any point in drawing a line between a “genetically normal” extreme and a “genetically abnormal” extreme? Is not the very notion absurd?
Suppose a true genetic freak were born with, say, monstrously long legs. This person could easily outrun normal people. Would we hail this person as an athletic prodigy or reject this person as a genetic freak?
August 21st, 2009 at 11:54 am
Sports fans often try to overlook the fact that genetics plays a role in abilities on the field. There is this myth that hard work is sufficient for victory. Hard work is a major factor, but you can’t deny genetic predispositions.
Nobody is born with a clean slate. Chromosomal differences are just genetic differences writ large. Get over it and move on with your lives. You just are not as fast as Caster and you never will be.
August 21st, 2009 at 3:15 pm
i think ricland is a narrowminded perveted idiot or son of an idiot who have never been to africa.what happenned to marion jones your black american compatroit.what about troy davies who is innoccently on death row.you have taght me that being in america does not neccesarily make one an intelligent being.you must be an allien from mars.caster is our golden girl.a role model for our young aspiring athletes.
you forget how you came to be in america
August 21st, 2009 at 5:12 pm
[...] the rest here: On Caster Semenya | The Intersection | Discover Magazine Share and [...]
August 21st, 2009 at 10:45 pm
I am so shocked by Ricland’s comment.
I personally think you have allowed yourself to look silly by your comments.
Firstly, if you are going to call the head of the SA athletics a degenerate crook for the sole purpose that he hits on his female secretary, you are being ridiculous. Bill Clinton, one of the most beloved presidents of the US, flirted (etc) with an intern at the White House! Not saying that makes it right – but come on here!!
Secondly, You are not African, what do you know about African names. Then is Michael Michelle a male because her mother named her Michael? Are you really serious right now? In any case the child’s name at birth was Mokgadi Caster Semenya, amd apparently they just use Caster because it’s easier.
Third, you cannot simply look at bone structure or the sound of someone’s voice to determine his/her sex. Genetics defies common sense! I have seen cases where paternity tests have confirmed that a pair of brunettes made a baby with blonde hair and blue eyes!
I am not South African, but I am apalled and ashamed at your comments.
August 22nd, 2009 at 1:40 am
Ricland ! I am appalled by your comments about Caster and our fellow countrymen. Viva to Caster you make us proud! Ricland, I suggest from now onwards please do refer to yourself as a black american and drop the AFRICAN ! with comments like those you are not welcome to use the term African that we are proud of.!
August 22nd, 2009 at 10:17 am
The likes of senseless Ricland are lost in America. For him to suggest that Caster was a fraud without any conviction means that he should head back to school. Ricland is an ignoramus of the highest order and a complete nincompoop. I am not a South African nor American.
August 22nd, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Re Denise
Genetics defies common sense! I have seen cases where paternity tests have confirmed that a pair of brunettes made a baby with blonde hair and blue eyes!
Ms. Denise is obviously poorly acquainted with the science of genetics. The gene for blue eyes is a recessive gene which must be inherited from both parents (i.e. must lie on each of the chromosomes inherited fromeach parent) in order for the offspring to have blue eyes. Thus, if each of the parents had the recessive gene on one chromosome, they would not have blue eyes but there is a 1 in 4 chance that any one of their offspring will have blue eyes.
August 23rd, 2009 at 10:57 am
As Michael Johnson said during commentary duty, drug testing requires two samples an A and B before details of the athlete are disclosed. The name of the athlete is completely anonymous after a positive A sample. Unless leaked of course. Even then there are ways of stalling, non-compliance strategies authorities may take if they feel unable to divulge information. The insensitivity displayed by the IAAF towards whether Semenya is competing fairly is monumental beyond belief. It is this insensitivity which those on the sharp end of all sorts of institutional prejudice are quite naturally sensitive about. It is possible also that the officials and coaches in South Africa should have taken pre-emptive action. It is easy to say this in hindsight. Semenya did not come to Berlin to cheat. She’s an 18 yr old who runs fast. She’s not even the fastest woman 800 metre runner by a long shot. But there were already doubts and misapprehensions as to whether she was a young boy long before coming to Berlin.
African governments need to wise up to global media dynamics and think strategically whenever engaging internationally, especially when it involves our young, for they will lead and prepare generations to come. Africa needs to take control of her story, interactions and image. There’s no point depending on other people to act or think by your standards. Or to understand how history has acted on you. It is the responsibility of Africa to look after and protect Africans whereever they are. Yes, we have a long way to go, but that has to be an imperative.
Good can come out of all this, Semenya will be inspirational to many world wide, lessons will be learnt. Institutionally but hopefully on an individual level. Some of us have revealed our own insensitivity to pain, the simplistic urge to vent, judge, label. Others know what it’s like to be an outsider and have shown compassion.
Either way, and whatever the results of the tests, The IAAF with the accumulative experience available to them have acted extremely injudiciously and injuriously towards Semenya. This is not the first time issues of fairness have arisen in sport but I dont recall this level personal invasion of the most intimate kind when similar doubts have arisen in the past. It may be the media sign of the times but I cant help feeling that this crucifixion of the soul could have been avoided or limited.
August 23rd, 2009 at 3:23 pm
[...] Discover Magazine: On Caster Semenya [...]
August 23rd, 2009 at 11:41 pm
Ricland – kudos to you! At least one honest person who isn’t playing dumb about all the controversial evidence broadcast so far about Caster.
There is a lot more serious evidence against SA head coach (Ekkart Arbeit) and I don’t understand why the anglo press has been so silent regarding him. Even without the allegations (below) all over the German and latino press this weekend, Arbeit’s proven doping track record in several countries, starting with his two decades in East Germany, is horrible.
This, although, up until now, deemed in alleged status, wouldn’t surprise me at all:
http://www.bild.de/BILD/news/bild-english/sport-news/more-sport/2009/08/21/caster-semenya-sex-test/ex-coach-says-world-800m-champion-is-a-hermaphrodite.html
Caster Semenya’s ex-coach has claimed the sex test controversy athlete is actually a hermaphrodite. The unnamed coach told Swiss tabloid ‘Blick’ that tests to determine her gender had already been taken. “South Africa carried them out in March. The result is clear. Semenya should not have been allowed to start with the women at the World Championships in Berlin.“
The unnamed source also claimed that South Africa’s head coach Ekkart Arbeit, who used to hold the same position with East Germany, “knew exactly what had to be done“ to get Semenya past authorities in previous competitions.
Her testosterone level can be altered using medication so that she was not found out in previous doping tests.
=============
Arbeit was head coach for throwing events of the East German track and field team from 1982-88 and chief coach in 1989-90. This includes the infamous East German shot put team and Heidi Krieger, who was given so many hormonal drugs, she later changed into a he.
============
And the only interview I saw of Caster gave me a really bad impression of him, exactly as you say ricland. No little victim. There seems to be nothing in Caster’s own mind about being female himself, and he seems to me quite aware of his hermaphrodite condition, which is clearly male as far as his own identity seems to be concerned on a gender level. I am leaning more and more towards fraud by the S African Athletics. And Caster, although young and easily manipulable, not that innocent either.
On the team of experts conducting the IAAF sex tests there is supposedly a psychologist. At first, I thought this professional was part of the team to explore questions of gender idendity, but if the IAAF is smart about its testing, a psychologist’s useful role here would be to investigate lying and concealing.
August 24th, 2009 at 3:07 am
i am very worried as an african living in africa. when i read through a blog like this one, all i see is fury and no reasoned intelligence. RICLAND’S comments are very reasoned and just. all it has elicited is a cacophony of abuse that is not suitable for any discussion. this is a very prevalent trait here in africa. scream hard and loud and drown out all voices of reason. it is not progressive.
there is a clear case of abuse and greed in Castor’s case. all those defending her are not doing so on medical grounds which is where the focus must be. just to be happy because africa has added a medal and record to its trophy case is not enough. have we done it right is the question.
why did AFA not subject her to testing? how can they simply say we are satisfied she is female when all else points to the contrary? and they did not peep in her pants because according to Cheuneu or some chap with that name, it would be gross invasion of privacy.
and why does she have a male name? it is very relevant now because there are doubts on her sex? women may hail her now but this sets a bad precedent where future of female sprts will be dominated by dubious female sex crossing over from the male divide.
i urge my fellow africans to think deeply on this and any other issue. and avoid outpourings of abuse where we need sober minds. i applaud you RICLAND. all the points you raise are very relevant in this case.
August 24th, 2009 at 9:03 am
[...] The Intersection | “For now we’ll have to wait and see how the controversy plays out, but regardless, let me be completely clear about one particular point: Appearances. The human body comes in many shapes and sizes, packing a cocktail of genes and hormones that drive the behavior and traits we perceive as masculine or feminine. In other words, what we observe is not merely determined by X and Y chromosomes, an affinity for dolls or trucks, and so on. Before jumping to conclusions, remember that lesson from grade school and don’t judge a book by its cover.” [...]
August 24th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
The gender/sex thing is just so much made-up, PC nonsense. Nouns have gender – people have sex.
August 25th, 2009 at 12:48 am
I think it is important in this case to clarify the difference between sex and gender. In most cases they are used interchangeably, but this is actually incorrect. GENDER refers to how an individual portrays and perceives him or herself—for example male or female. It is more of a social construct than a biological one. SEX, on the other hand, is biological, and that is the essence of the debate in this case, whether or not Semenya is of male or female SEX, NOT GENDER. An individual can have male sex but female gender, and vice versa. Whatever the outcome of this issue is i truly hope that she is able to move on from this public humiliation surrounding her.
August 25th, 2009 at 7:18 am
well i dont kow what all these negative comments are about. you guys think that you know it all because of all your “clever scientific” coments… we are all Gods children and God knows why he has made us the way that he has, you think your stupid medical researhes and scientific stupid proofs stand a chance against Gods creations, all these scientific things were created by man, and people are not perfect.. so i do not get why people would rely so much on what was created by man instead of what was created by God. God knows why He made Caster the way she is.. Caster has a talent, and she has discovered it, now who are you people to question that… i know her and i know her well, she is a girl i have seen it, and i dont care what you guys think, but i have never seen a guy who mensturates, and gets their period… unless you “scientifically clever” idiots were so clever that you managed to create a man like that… just go to hell with your stupid comments and researches go somewhere else to do your stupid predictions and assumptions Caster is a pretty little lady not a science lab rat
August 25th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
Dear readers, this discussion is very emotional and does not touch the sad and bad reality of many people in our world.
Assuming Caster is a woman, what does this mean about those people that put in question her person.
Remember the holocaust.
What is a woman.
Education is needed here, people have just to often to little education about biology and darwinism. They all to often compensate this with religion and prejudism.
In fact humans come in all kind of variations, (am man has a penis, a woman has a vagina) we have men with ovaries that are very kind not so strong, – but great designers, we have women with 3 chromosome pairs with a testosteron hypersensibillity that make great runners.
Humans come in all shapes and genders. There are men that are lesbiens. You think thats the same as a heterosexual man, but thinking it through, it isn’t. The hole gender discussion is fruitless, because occupations need people with special abillities in any area.
Try to have a weightlifter compete in the knitting competition. Should we deny the female looking man to compete in the ballay competition, because it looks to smooth and female what he is presenting.
Fact is, that caster won the race because she is better equipped than others woman. Better trainned and more agressive. Those things will definitely not make her look “female” and cute. If she has a dick, than she is in fact a man, if she did have a dick, than she is in fact a woman who got her abilities to win a race in the women competition through another nature twist to provide her with the tools to win.
If she is a woman, than imagine what she must have suffer when guys come up to her and say you look like a man. What a torture for a young girl. I feel sorry for her. Mabe she is a woman with male prepositions and wants to be a man. Than she is still what she is, a woman. A vagina.
Thanks, lisa
August 26th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
This is the contextual historical background for Ekkart Arbeit (the current SA Athletics’ head coach).
East Germany’s monstrous doping program
For a fascinating read on the subject:
http://www.clinchem.org/cgi/content/full/43/7/1262
Hormonal doping and androgenization of athletes: a secret program of the German Democratic Republic government
Werner W. Franke1,a and Brigitte Berendonk2
Abstract
Several classified documents saved after the collapse of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in 1990 describe the promotion by the government of the use of drugs, notably androgenic steroids, in high-performance sports (doping). Top-secret doctoral theses, scientific reports, progress reports of grants, proceedings from symposia of experts, and reports of physicians and scientists who served as unofficial collaborators for the Ministry for State Security (”Stasi”) reveal that from 1966 on, hundreds of physicians and scientists, including top-ranking professors, performed doping research and administered prescription drugs as well as unapproved experimental drug preparations. Several thousand athletes were treated with androgens every year, including minors of each sex. Special emphasis was placed on administering androgens to women and adolescent girls because this practice proved to be particularly effective for sports performance.
August 31st, 2009 at 10:12 am
[...] On Caster Semenya | The Intersection | Discover Magazine [...]
September 1st, 2009 at 4:01 pm
How long does it take to determine if someone is female or male? Is more than a physical examination necessary? For some reason, the IAAF feels that they must conduct numerous tests from a group of doctors to determine if Caster Semenya is really a female, thereby allowing her to continue competing in woman’s track events. Their chosen group of doctors include an endocrinologist, a gynecologist, an internal medicine expert, an expert on gender, and last but not least, a psychologist. If she has the correct anatomy, and can have a child, isn’t she a woman? No one was expecting a young black South African woman to completely dominate the women’s 800 meters at the 2009 World Championships, but that is exactly what Caster Semenya did! Ironically, Usain Bolt dominated his competition and set world record times that no one thought was possible. Why has the IAAF not started testing him (as far as we know) to see if he is really human?
The IAAF is embarrassing themselves and Caster Semenya by making this so public. Does the IAAF understand that because she might not look like everyone else, this doesn’t make her a villain? Technically, they are not saying that she cheated, but in investigating her, they might as well be! We need to stop having the so called “elite-people” classifying the identities of others because they may look different, talk different, are taller, shorter, or have a different skin color. If there are legitimate suspicions I could understand, but because the person does not fit the mold of what we think they should be, is completely ridiculous.
Remember throughout all this nonsense, there is a human being and her name is Caster Semenya. They have not only threatened to take away her medal but have insulted her before the entire world! The IAAF should drop this investigation and apologize. Caster Semenya is a woman! Like it or not, the human species is evolving and she could very well be what women look like in the future, faster and stronger!
September 6th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Honest to Pete! You people are ridiculous! I’m 13, I just took a sex ed course. You know what? SHE’S A WOMAN. Just like me. She may not walk, talk, look, and certainly not run like me, but she is still a woman.
Erin
September 6th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
This case is weird. I am amazed at how well this young woman is holding up to this controversy.
Haven’t we all known mannish-looking women and feminine-looking women? Yeah, the generalized norms ares simply the way most people appear within the sexes. Yes, men tend to be larger and stronger than women.
She is supposed to want children. The boys she played football with said she would always go off by herself to change. She must be having a monthly menstrual cycle.
I’m a big, tall woman who has no physical strength, and I’m much smaller than my big, tall, strong brothers. We’re German English and I tower over most Asian men.
When I first saw Caster, she looked like a man to me. But, the more I look at her, the more she looks like a woman. When I see her running, she looks like a man. But, her face with the bright eyes and broad smile seem feminine. I see a feminine vulnerability on her face, but vulnerability doesn’t have to be a feminine trait, nor does what I perceive as her feminine facial expession.
I think this girl has a lovely, strong, healthy face. I can understand why some of the other girls don’t think she should be running wtih them.
The best solution I saw was to have n0n-gender races, but that would never work, because most men can out-run most women.
In life, there are no clear-cut answers.
Caster is a heroine to me, not just because she is a strong athlete. She said she did stuff like play football and run because she likes to. Supposedly, she has never let the gender comments disturb her, but it can’t be easy. She is a very strong young woman for her emotional perseverance and persistence in doing what she likes.
Yes, there have been serious abuses with doping athletes to alter their hormones and change performance. Those are shocking. But this girl appears to be an unchemically altered athlete.
If we had unisex athletic competiitons, there would probably be more tinkering with biology.
So, I say to Caster, “You go, girl!”
September 8th, 2009 at 3:22 am
Well, let’s wait and see what happens. This is no matter to boil over. I think Miss Semenya is being really brave, and if she turns out to be genetically male, that’s very unfortunate but not her fault.
One more thing, someone on the board has commented she might be XX and have CAIS, you are wrong. It’s XY that can have CAIS and express as a female with male genes. If you are XX and CAIS, that would only make you more womanly.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:47 am
I am an African (born in Africa south, dark in skin colour) female (so I think).
I am not overly educated, neither am I knowledgeable in the ways of the human body, genetics, gynaecology, endocrinology, pyschology or the sciences that are mentioned here.
All I know is that Caster is a human being and other human beings are being very mean in how they are addressing this, whether on the wrong or the right side. We all need to learn a big lesson in bigotry from this whole saga.
Never forget that circumstances might have been different, it could have been YOU in the middle of this barrage of attacks and counter attacks.
Be kind
September 9th, 2009 at 12:49 am
[...] to the BBC, 18-year-old South African 800m world champion Caster Semenya has taken part in a makeover in a magazine after athletic officials questioned her gender. [...]
September 10th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
I am a medical doctor(albeit not a specialist on gender: dermatologist) and Korean(Asian).
I feel very sorry for Miss Semenya now the results are out. What an international attention on such a private matter….and that she cannot enjoy the wonderful world of motherhood.
From the academic aspect, I wonder what medical decisions should be made on her internal testes. Normally, if a person has non-functioning testes and is phenotypically a woman, the standard treatment usually is to surgically remove them, for they would often transform into testicular cancer. In her case, it is functioning but still might have higher potential to be cancerous someday. On the other hand, it would also negatively affect her performances if those were cut out.
September 11th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Certainly there are a few truly reasonable comments here. Most people are just ranting, about this and that, when in fact neither side truly has any proof. Rather there is reason to be suspicious and I dont know why people are so against this test. She does look an awful lot like a man, she talks like a man, in her interviews she seems to act like a man. So why not test her?
There is so much controversy around this whole issue, stemming from her coach, and the SA association. Also the fact that the race card gets played when someone like this gets criticized is absurd, as im sure most educated african americans would be ashamed that the SA delegation would base it primarily on race.
So I do hope you all can be reasonable rather then so narrow minded.
P.S. The part about Husain Bolt being tested for being human was pretty funny. Reason certainly plays a small role in this persons head.