"Give cash for Caster" - yet runner is far from broke (Feature)

By Clare Byrne Nov 7, 2010, 12:19 GMT

Johannesburg - Widespread reports that South African running sensation Caster Semenya is struggling to fund her career since being cleared by gender tests have been rubbished by her management team, who admit the public has been misled.

The past few weeks have seen a flurry of reports on the purported financial distress of the women's 800m champion, who returned to the track in July after being suspended for a year while undergoing sex tests.

'Semenya is struggling to pay for her running,' Sports Illustrated and other leading news and sports titles reported, describing how the 'sponsorless' 19-year-old from a small village in northern Limpopo province, had turned to Facebook to try to raise money for her career.

One group of supporters has even set up a campaign to raise 1 million rand (142,000 dollars) for Semenya on the social network. They say the 'The Million Rand Campaign began 'as a result of media reports that Ms Semenya was battling financially.'

But in interviews with the German Press Agency dpa this week, both Semenya's manager Jukka Harkonen and an aide mistakenly referred to in recent reports as her manager, Tshepo Seema, admitted the image of a hard-up Semenya beating the pavement in search of funding was a complete misapprehension.

'Caster is not struggling financially,' Harkonen wrote in an email from his native Finland, expressing frustration at the 'wrong information concerning Caster' doing the rounds.

'Nike has been supporting Caster very well since 2009,' Harkonen added, detailing how the sports apparel company provides Semenya with shoes, clothes and equipment as well as money towards her living costs.

Semenya's university, the University of Pretoria, where she trains, was also supporting her, he said. And when she was invited to compete abroad her costs were usually met by the meet organizers.

'That is the normal way for all top international athletes,' he said.

The myth of a down-at-heel Semenya, left to fend for herself after covering her country in glory, took root in September when the 19-year-old runner urged the public to support her by donating 5 rand (around 70 cents) towards her career.

The cellphone SMS campaign was the brainchild of a few people in Semenya's entourage led by Seema, whose main role is to manage the Caster Semenya Sports Academy - an initiative begun by the teenager to help other athletes from impoverished backgrounds.

Seema told dpa the campaign, in which Semenya promised to 'live up to the reputation of being known as the Golden Girl' in return for the support - was to rally South Africans around Semenya in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games in October - not collect cash.

'It was just a public campaign to say: 'Caster you've been through a lot. There are a lot of people who support you in South Africa. This is one of the ways (giving money) we can thank you for putting South Africa on the map.'

As soon as Semenya was ruled out of the Commonwealth games due to a back injury, the campaign was halted, he said, adding he had yet to receive a report on the amount donated.

But in an interview last month Seema still cast Semenya as struggling, saying she had been 'to various companies, motor companies, cellphone companies, restaurant chains, a whole range of companies.....but we can't get sponsorship because of the negative publicity in the last couple of months.'

Seema told dpa he had been referring to additional sponsors on top of Nike, who, however, don't feature her in their advertising campaigns.

Yet messages of sympathy for a 'broke' Semenya continue to flood in on a Facebook page dedicated to her. One group of supporters has even pledged to raise 1 million rand (142,000 dollars) for her.

The Million Rand Campaign, begun by communications professional Thobeka Magcai, said 'there is still a need by Ms Semenya for additional sponsorship', without specifying what her needs are.

The revelations about the athlete comes as she tries to kickstart a comeback overshadowed until now by inconsistent performances and injury.

Harkonen, who says he started working with Semenya in March 2009 and also manages and coaches champion South African long jumper Khotso Mokoena, said Semenya had been back in training 'already some weeks ago and the back problems are nearly gone.'

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