LONDON (AP):

The head of track and field's world governing body has called off a visit to South Africa to discuss the results of 800-metre world champion Caster Semenya's gender tests.

IAAF president Lamine Diack put off the trip to South Africa this weekend because he received an invitation to meet the Russian president at a major sports summit in that country, IAAF spokesman Nick Davies said on Friday.

The IAAF, which has been criticised in South Africa for its handling of the Semenya case, said Diack still hoped to meet with South African officials once they have turned over the results of their own gender tests on the runner.

"The South Africa trip may still take place and if it does, the reason for it is very clear," Davies told The Associated Press. "The president would like to find a solution to this matter which puts the interests of the athlete first. To do this, he believes it is important to find a consensus."

The 18-year-old Semenya has been under intense international scrutiny since winning the women's 800 at the World Championships in Berlin in August.

The IAAF ordered gender tests on Semenya before the final to determine whether she was eligible to compete as a woman. It is still reviewing the results and has refused to confirm or deny Australian media reports that the tests indicate Semenya has male and female sex organs.

The IAAF council is scheduled to consider the case next month in Monaco.

test results

In the meantime, Davies said the IAAF wants to compare its test results with those conducted by Athletics South Africa in Pretoria on August 7 before the championships.

"We have still not received any written results," Davies said.

He said the IAAF results have been analysed by eight medical experts, four from inside the federation's own medical commission and four from outside.