Berlin, Aug 23 (DPA) Usain Bolt has established himself as a global sports icon while the case of Caster Semenya could have been treated with more sensitivity, world athletics supremo Lamine Diack said Sunday.

Speaking on the closing day of the Berlin championships, the IAAF president Diack said that the sport had been as successful as at the 2008 Beijing Olympics where Jamaica's Bolt had burst onto the scene.

'We have been living a fantastic championship. All the promises from Beijing have been kept,' the 76-year-old Senegalese said.

'Usain Bolt is the most popular sportsman, not just the most popular athlete.'

Bolt repeated his Olympic sprint treble in Berlin and set jaw-dropping world records in the 100m (9.58 seconds) and 200m (19.19 sec). The 23-year-old now enjoys pop star status.

On the downside, there was the case of 800m champion Semenya who was told by the IAAF to undergo a gender verification test over concerns about her meteoric rise and boyish looks.

'The issue could have been treated with more sensitivity.