By Duncan Mackay

January 13 - A major row is developing between Caster Semenya (pictured) and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) after the world 800 metres champion announced today that she plans to resume her career in South Africa at the end of this month before heading to Europe to compete in the sport's top meetings.



Michael Seme, Semenya's coach, said at a press conference organised by Athletics South Africa (ASA) in Houghton that Semenya would compete in the Yellow Pages Series, which is due to begin before the end of January, as a warm-up to the European circuit and then the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in October.

It is a major escalation in the row over her gender following reports that she is a hermaphrodite and should not have been allowed to compete at the World Championships in Berlin last August.

Seme said: "She will run in at least three Yellow Pages races this year.

"We don't have the fixtures yet, but we are sure she will run in the first meeting."

Semenya plans to do one 800m and then a combination of 400m and 1500m as part of her build-up for the European circuit, including the lucrative Diamond League, the IAAF's new flagship series.

Seme said: "Last year there were obviously problems and she was not able to compete in those big events.

"She received many invites after winning the world title, and even before that, but because of what happened she chose not to take part.

"But this year is different and she is planning to compete in some of those events."

Semenya, who has never been suspended or officially warned that she may not be able to compete, has basically put the IAAF into the position of banning her or accepting that she should be allowed to continue to run.

The fact that the ASA used her at an official sponsorship launch suggests that they back her.

If they did not they could face a threatened multi-million dollar lawsuit.

Nick Davies, the spokesman for the IAAF, said: "We are still in the same position as before - no official IAAF comment until we have finished the inquiry - and I can't tell you how long the inquiry will take either."

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