SAfrican track chief said to have lied, threatened

South Africa's top track official resorted to lies and threats to ensure Caster Semenya was allowed to run at the 2009 world championships after questions were raised about her gender, according to documents released Thursday.

The South African Olympic Committee released the documents to back up an announcement made earlier this week that its own investigation had determined Leonard Chuene, the suspended president of Athletics South Africa, was guilty of misappropriating funds, evading taxes and running the track body poorly. The process, not yet complete, could result in sanctions against Chuene and others.

Semenya won the 800 meters at the world championships in Berlin in 2009, running just after the IAAF announced it was investigating whether she was eligible to compete as a woman. The decision to allow her to run exposed her to a media storm. She has since been cleared to run as a woman, but an injury has interrupted her comeback.

Semenya told The Associated Press on Thursday that the report castigating Chuene "doesn't concern me. I'm just an athlete."

Chuene could not be reached.

"All along we have maintained that we are transparent and that we have nothing to hide," Tubby Reddy, chief executive officer of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee, said in a statement accompanying the documents laying out the charges against Chuene and conclusions drawn by Norman Arendse, the lawyer who conducted the probe.

Arendse said in his findings: "There can be little doubt that the conduct of Mr. Chuene in particular was unacceptable and that it brought ASA and athletics in this country into disrepute, and that the dignity of Ms. Semenya was violated as a result."

Arendse also said he had found evidence against Chuene of "rampant abuse of ASA resources, an abuse of power and authorities, self-aggrandizement, greed and, quite frankly, corruption."

Arendse found that questions about Semenya's gender had led Chuene to arrange for tests, which were done a day before she headed to Berlin for the championships. Based on the results, which came while the team was in Berlin, team doctor Harold Adams recommended that Semenya be withdrawn. Chuene asked an aide to tell the runner, and "she broke down and cried," according Arendse's report.

Arendse quoted Adams as saying Chuene changed his mind after consulting with unnamed, "high-powered" politicians in South Africa. A meeting was arranged with IAAF medical officials at which Adams was present, but ordered by Chuene not to speak.

At that meeting, according to Adams, Chuene said no gender tests had been conducted in South Africa, and she was allowed to run on the basis of that assurance. Chuene also told the international track officials that if they refused to let Semenya run, they would face political backlash and a possible court case.

Arendse said the IAAF submitted written statements confirming the team doctor's account. IAAF spokesman Nick Davies said Thursday he could not immediately comment on Arendse's findings.

After Berlin, Semenya underwent more gender testing, missed 11 months of competition and was finally cleared to run again by the IAAF in July.

She ran six minor meets in Europe before a back injury forced her to drop out of the Commonwealth Games in India last October.

On Thursday, Semenya said she could not say when she would be competing internationally again. Her coach, Michael Seme, said he would be assessing her performance at a low-key weekend race in South Africa.

Like Semenya, Seme said he had no comment on the Chuene report.

"I don't want to talk about anybody," Seme said. "I just concentrate on what I'm doing."