Caster Semenya will not compete at CWG
Caster Semenya will miss the Commonwealth Games in October because of a lingering back injury. The loss of Semenya in the 800m reduces the South African squad to only 10, and it severely limits their ability to win a gold medal at the Games in Delhi.
South Africa Sports Confederation of Olympic Committee CEO, Tubby Reddy, stated that any athlete withdrawing from the Games because of injury would be subject to an examination by the team’s doctors to confirm the validity of the injury.
After a plague of difficulties including snakes in the athlete’s village, a bridge collapse, outbreaks of dengue fever and malaria, tourists being shot, and warnings of potential terrorist kidnappings, some athletes have dropped out of the Games because
of concerns for their safety, and not because of injury.
Reddy will not let any of his athletes drop out of the Games because of fear, but he confirmed Tuesday that Semenya had an MRI, and is indeed unfit to return to competition saying that, “...she most certainly has a back problem.”
Semenya returned to competition this summer after the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) ruled her ineligible, pending a gender test. She passed the test, although many of her fellow athletes still object to her participation in women’s
competitions.
The 800m runner won the gold at the 2009 World Championships before being told she could no longer compete. Upon her return she won the World Challenge, and was hoping to continue her comeback in Delhi.
Many high profile athletes have already pulled themselves out of the Commonwealth Games, mainly because of injury or fatigue after a long season. The decisions are understandable considering that the World Championships will be held in South Korea next year,
and the Olympics will be held in London the year after.
South Africa has already lost another 800m runner, Mbulaeni Mulaudzi to injury earlier on Tuesday. He was another medal hopeful.
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