ASA chief suspended over Caster Semenya row

South Africa's Olympic governing body has suspended Athletics South Africa's president Leonard Chuene, after he lied about whether Caster Semenya had undergone gender tests before her controversial 800m victory at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.

Chuene (pictured with Semenya) originally denied that any gender tests were carried out on the 18-year-old Semenya before she won the 800m title in August. But in September he admitted that he had lied to the South African government and the media.

The ASA board and its members have also been suspended pending a disciplinary investigation into the affair.

In turn the ASA apologised to Semenya, who has since gone into hiding, over the gender row. A statement said: "Athletics South Africa wishes to publicly and unconditionally apologise to Caster Semenya and her family, the President of South Africa as well as to all South Africans for the handling of her gender verification processes and the subsequent aftermath."

The ASA board will now meet with Caster, her family and the government "for discussions on the matter", the statement added.

Semenya secretly underwent tests prior to the World Championships in Pretoria, where it was discovered that she did, as many suspected, display 'intersex' or 'hermaphrodite' characteristics. She had internal testes and produced abnormal amounts of testosterone for a woman.

Cheune had also overuled South Africa's team doctor Harold Adams who had advised the ASA that Semenya should not run in the women's 800m as a result of the gender test. ·