Diack expects Semenya resolution by 'end of June'

International Association of Athletics Federations president Lamine Diack today confirmed there will be a resolution to the gender row surrounding Caster Semenya by the end of June.

The 19-year-old South African, who has undergone tests to determine her gender, has not raced since winning gold in the 800metres at last summer’s World Championships in Berlin.

The results of those tests were initially expected last November but the case is still yet to be concluded.

Earlier this year Semenya announced plans to return to action this season, revealing Zaragoza in Spain on June 24 as the time and place of her return.

Whether that stays the case remains to be seen, but Diack feels a resolution to the saga is weeks away.

“This issue must be a confidential one. We had this kind of problem but it never got out,” Diack said ahead of tonight’s inaugural IAAF Diamond League meeting in Doha.

“It’s the first time that it got open. My job was in the end to make it confidential and I think we are on the way to finding the solution.

“In the coming weeks we will tell you ’this is the solution’. It will not take longer than until the end of June.

“I cannot elaborate on that. This girl was in a very difficult position. It was very difficult for everyone.”

The IAAF have been investigating Semenya’s gender after her breakthrough performance in winning the African junior championship title at the end of July last year.

The teenager ran a stunning time of one minute 56.72 seconds in Mauritius, taking almost four seconds from her previous best, and sliced another 1.27secs off that time with victory in the German capital.

Diack, 76, confirmed he would be running for re-election next year, but revealed he could stand as a presidential candidate in his home country of Senegal in March 2012 if asked to do so, and, if elected, would stand down as IAAF president.

“The people are thinking that we have to find someone to rebuild our democracy,” Diack said.

“And 90% of the people are saying ’Diack is the guy for that’. That’s the situation.

“If all the country say ’Lamine, there is the mission, you have to rebuild for four years’ I will be under an obligation to say ’look for a successor’.”

Diack, who said the 14-meeting Diamond League series could be extended to 16 in the future, with Moscow and Rio de Janeiro possible venues, also rejected reports that the IAAF was close to bankruptcy.

He admitted, though, the organisation had been affected by the global financial crisis.

“The crisis is making everything difficult and it’s affecting everyone,” he said.

“We have a problem and we have to cut our expenses. We can’t spend more than our income, but we have a budget and all the council has agreed it.”