Experienced administrator Essar Gabriel has been named the new general secretary of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) replacing the retiring Pierre Weiss, the governing body said on Tuesday.
South Africa's ruling party leapt on Thursday to the defence of a World champion runner undergoing a gender verification test, saying she was the country's "golden girl" and a role model for young athletes. Caster Semenya, whose rapid improvement over last year prompted the test, won the women's world 800 metres title with a crushing performance in Berlin on Wednesday.
Athletics' governing body came under renewed fire on Tuesday following disclosures that top officials were aware of a potentially serious doping problem among Russian athletes as far back as 2009.
IAAF president Sebastian Coe says there has been no cover up of Russian doping cases despite the latest leaked documents appearing to show that officials of athletics' governing body were discussing how to suppress news of positive tests.
Caster Semenya is seen as a near-certainty for Olympic gold on the track in Rio and her expected success in the 800 metres looks just as sure to bring up further examination of her running credentials.
Science is a young person's game. An award to a young scientist could free up that person to do productive work, or help win more grants by enhancing reputation, argues Devangshu Datta.
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