Athletics SA president Leonard Chuene has denied lying about not having any knowledge of gender tests conducted on controversial middle distance athlete Caster Semenya.

Briefing the National Assembly's sport and recreation committee, he said: "Our position is documented."

"We learnt from the past that we were called liars even if we have put everything on paper. But they said 'you lied'. I don't understand."

Chuene said a statement, read to the committee by ASA spokesman Chris Brits on Tuesday, was the same statement that was issued at a press conference in Pretoria on September 19.

He had then read the following day that "I lied to the country, said all these things".

In the statement, Chuene admitted that he refused to accept advice from ASA team doctor Harold Adams to withdraw Semenya from the World Athletics Championships in Berlin in August.

He also admitted that ASA knew about a gender test conducted on Semenya in Pretoria on August 7.

However, ASA's deception on the matter was intended to protect Semenya's confidentiality.

Adams organised the gender tests on Semenya after ASA general manager Molatelo Malehopo had given him the go-ahead, following a request from the international athletics body, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), for the national federation to conduct tests on the athlete.

"Despite increased media interest on Caster Semenya and issues surrounding her gender, members of ASA continued to deny the existence or knowledge of these tests as they believed that maintaining confidentiality would protect her as an individual on this highly sensitive requirement.

"Had ASA admitted its knowledge at the time, it would have compromised Caster Semenya's privacy of this extremely sensitive issue and unfairly fuelled the debate and speculations surrounding the tests."

ASA did not deny knowledge of the tests with any malice and the intention was never to deceive the South African public.

At the time, ASA felt it was acting in Semenya's best interests.

It was an error of judgement for which ASA and Chuene apologised unconditionally.

However, he could not apologise for allowing Semenya to run or for protecting her privacy.

Under the circumstances, the matter could, without a doubt, have been handled differently.

But it should be understood that team management had to take decisions on the spot, based on the evidence available at that point, and had the mandate to do so.

Sapa

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