The South African Sports Minister threatened a “third world war” if Caster Semenya, the athlete whose gender has been called into question, were banned from competing.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday Makhenkesi Stofile responded angrily to reports in which a source close to the inquiry into the athlete claimed that tests had suggested she was a hermaphrodite. Asked how South Africa would react were the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to say that Semenya could no longer compete against women, he said: “I think it will be the third world war.

“We will go to the highest levels in contesting such a decision. It would be totally unfair and totally unjust. It is very, very clear to us that Caster’s human rights are not being respected. Neither Caster nor her family deserve this kind of humiliation. None of them has done anything wrong. This is as disgusting as it is unethical.”

Saying that the South African Government had not seen the test results, he added: “What does it matter? The issue is not whether she’s a hermaphrodite. She’s a girl.

“Caster remains our heroine, and we strongly believe that our Government and all well-meaning citizens should protect Ms Semenya, her rights and her interests.”

Mr Stofile accused the IAAF of leaking results of tests on Semenya while pleading ignorance of where the reports originated.

The IAAF has confirmed that it has received Semenya’s test results, but they will be studied by an independent panel before action is taken. It said the matter would go before its executive council on November 20.

However, Leonard Chuene, president of Athletics South Africa, claimed that the IAAF had told him that the tests were inconclusive.

The story that a gender verification process was under way first appeared in the Australian Daily Telegraph. Mike Hurst, the journalist who broke the story, last night told South Africa’s Radio 702: “My sources are 100 per cent reliable. They \ haven’t denied my story. That’s crucial.”

Semenya won the 800 metres final at the World Championships in Berlin last month. The IAAF has indicated that she is unlikely to be asked to return her gold medal.

Last night the athlete dropped out of an event at today’s national cross-country championships in Pretoria.