It has hardly been sport's finest hour, moments in time in which the Corinthian spirit was damaged before shattering into tawdry little pieces.
Embracing scenes that she was probably more accustomed to before her marriage to Nelson collapsed, the debatable Winnie Madikizela-Mandela is one of several political figures in South Africa who have attempted to turn the plight of the unfortunate Caster Semenya into something that it is not.
It has been a shameless form of opportunism more illuminating than Semenya's surge to the line in winning gold at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin.
The International Association of Athletics Federations' failing has been in allowing the genetic testing of Semenya to become public knowledge after her winning run in the women's 800 metres. The race to exploit her situation has developed quicker than any time she has posted.
This remains a gender issue, not one of race. The truth has got lost somewhere in the ensuing melee, failing to stop Mandela, and various pressure groups pursuing their own agenda.
The IAFF have botched the handling of the Semenya case, a point conceded by its president Lamine Diake, who is probably still wincing as an internal inquiry in the full glare of the public is carried out.
Whatever the outcome of a gender test that will take weeks to complete, the outcry should ensure Semenya keeps her title. Unless she is guilty of doping, it would seem like the logical decision.
Allegations of sexism and racism and even reference to the days of apartheid have all been tabled. These are all bogus claims.
This 18-year-old girl appears to have done nothing wrong other than win a major race. Her gold has been political gold to the African National Congress and assorted political groups, who ushered her off a plane at Johannesburg Airport like some sort of returning boxing champion.
This could take its toll mentally. The teenager's treatment at the hands of her compatriots has been as badly handled as the IAFF's investigation, but its decision cannot be faulted if the guidelines for testing are stipulated in its constitution.
"There's a stereotype, a woman should put on make-up, high shoes and be soft, but she is a strong woman because women are strong," said Nehwoh Belinda of the rights group People Opposing Women Abuse.
In sport, women have another stereotype. Females have consistently been in touch with their masculine side.
A woman athlete showing male traits is not new. Women have tried to gain an advantage over their female compatriots by becoming more manly, a point never lost on the old Eastern Bloc countries.
The Polish athlete Stella Walsh won an Olympic sprinting gold in the 1930s, but was found to be male after she was shot dead in an armed robbery in 1980. Heidi Kreiger, one of many mechanical East Germans of the 1980s, binged on so many steroids that she became Europe's top shot putter in 1986 before turning into a man. She underwent a sex change operation. She now goes by the moniker of Harold.
To run faster, swim faster. throw longer or get more shots across the net, some women have had to be like men.
If Semenya was competing in the men's final, where would she have finished?
Cuba's Yeimer Lopez finished last in the final of the men's 800m with a time of 1.47.80secs. Semenya won her race in 1:55.45secs.
Only two men finished slower than Semenya's winning time in heats. She is hardly ready to become the next Saïd Aouita.
Semenya is said to have a deep voice and a manly physique. This is surely nothing new. Martina Navratilova subscribed to the need to gain muscle in women's tennis in the 1970s. In 2009 she looks almost elfish. Serena Williams and Amelie Mauresmo sport biceps that would have most ordinary blokes running for cover, but no matter how they work out in the gym, they could not live with the leading men in tennis.
It is not being sexist to make the point that while sportswomen produce entertainment, sport at its optimum level will always be performed by men.
Modern man may cart around manbags and wear moisturisers these days, but he is most in touch with his feminine side in sport when he cries after an exacting loss.
Women receive equal prize money in the grand slam tennis tournaments, but play only three sets. Wimbledon is always a time for opinions on the merits of the women's game.
"They want to look good, they pay attention to their looks and everything. That's what they sell," said Michael Stich, the 1991 men's singles champion.
In pursuits where there are no physical barriers, women continue to toil against the competitiveness of men. In golf, Annika Sorenstam and Michelle Wie have missed cuts against men.
"It's just different for ladies to play on the men's tour," said Vijay Singh, who refused to play alongside Sorenstam at one event.
"It's like getting the Williams sisters to play [tennis] against a man, and they're far better athletes than she [Sorenstam] is. She doesn't belong out here."
The US women golfers won the Solheim Cup. They would collapse under the duress and strain of a Ryder Cup crowd, especially in the US.
It would be fair to say Semenya is as womanly as any other sportswomen, even if she decided to have a shave on the starting line of her next race.
Sport remains a place where men are men, and women want to become men.
@Email:dkane@thenational.ae
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The%20specs%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%204cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E261hp%20at%205%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E400Nm%20at%201%2C750-4%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10.5L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh129%2C999%20(VX%20Luxury)%3B%20from%20Dh149%2C999%20(VX%20Black%20Gold)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Courses%20at%20Istituto%20Marangoni%2C%20Dubai
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EUndergraduate%20courses%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EInterior%20Design%3B%20Product%20Design%3B%20Visual%20Design%3B%20Fashion%20Design%20%26amp%3B%20Accessories%3B%20Fashion%20Styling%20%26amp%3B%20Creative%20Direction%3B%20Fashion%20Business%3B%20Foundation%20in%20Fashion%3B%20Foundation%20in%20Design%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EProfessional%20courses%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EFashion%20e-Commerce%20%26amp%3B%20Digital%20Marketing%3B%20Fashion%20Entrepreneurship%3B%20Fashion%20Luxury%20Retail%20and%20Visual%20Merchandising%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EShort%20courses%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EFashion%20design%3B%20Fashion%20Image%20%26amp%3B%20Styling%3B%20Fashion%20Trend%20Forecasting%3B%20Interior%20Design%3B%20Digital%20Art%20in%20Fashion%3Cbr%3EMore%20information%20is%20at%20%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.istitutomarangoni.com%2Fen%3Futm_source%3DLocal%26utm_medium%3Dorganic%26utm_campaign%3Dgmb%26utm_content%3Ddubai%22%20target%3D%22_self%22%3Ewww.istitutomarangoni.com%3C%2Fa%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
Picture of Joumblatt and Hariri breaking bread sets Twitter alight
Mr Joumblatt’s pessimism regarding the Lebanese political situation didn’t stop him from enjoying a cheerful dinner on Tuesday with several politicians including Mr Hariri.
Caretaker Culture Minister Ghattas Khoury tweeted a picture of the group sitting around a table at a discrete fish restaurant in Beirut’s upscale Sodeco area.
Mr Joumblatt told The National that the fish served at Kelly’s Fish lounge had been very good.
“They really enjoyed their time”, remembers the restaurant owner. “Mr Hariri was taking selfies with everybody”.
Mr Hariri and Mr Joumblatt often have dinner together to discuss recent political developments.
Mr Joumblatt was a close ally of Mr Hariri’s assassinated father, former prime minister Rafik Hariri. The pair were leading figures in the political grouping against the 15-year Syrian occupation of Lebanon that ended after mass protests in 2005 in the wake of Rafik Hariri’s murder. After the younger Hariri took over his father’s mantle in 2004, the relationship with Mr Joumblatt endured.
However, the pair have not always been so close. In the run-up to the election last year, Messrs Hariri and Joumblatt went months without speaking over an argument regarding the new proportional electoral law to be used for the first time. Mr Joumblatt worried that a proportional system, which Mr Hariri backed, would see the influence of his small sect diminished.
With so much of Lebanese politics agreed in late-night meetings behind closed doors, the media and pundits put significant weight on how regularly, where and with who senior politicians meet.
In the picture, alongside Messrs Khoury and Hariri were Mr Joumbatt and his wife Nora, PSP politician Wael Abou Faour and Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon Nazih el Nagari.
The picture of the dinner led to a flurry of excitement on Twitter that it signified an imminent government formation. “God willing, white smoke will rise soon and Walid Beik [a nickname for Walid Joumblatt] will accept to give up the minister of industry”, one user replied to the tweet. “Blessings to you…We would like you to form a cabinet”, wrote another.
The next few days will be crucial in determining whether these wishes come true.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
