Johannesburg, Sep 13 (DPA) South Africa's champion runner Caster Semenya was subjected to gender tests without her knowledge, according to her mother.

Speaking to South Africa's Sunday Independent about this week's media reports claiming the test results show Semenya to be intersex - or having both male and female characteristics, Dorcus Semenya said neither her daughter nor the family were informed she was going to be tested.

'I don't care about what they say she is, because I am her mother. But what makes me even more angry is that as the parents we were not even informed she was going to be tested,' Semenya said.

'The way they acted is like thieves who just break into your house and do whatever they want,' she accused, adding: 'What is even more heartbreaking is that my child said she was not told anything about the tests.'

Because of her masculine appearance and suddenly-improved times over the past year the IAAF requested gender tests on 18-year-old Semenya in the run-up to the world championships in Berlin last month.

The news broke hours before Semenya took gold in the 800 metres.

While the IAAF has drawn hefty criticism for its handling of the matter, which saw both the sensitive decision to test Semenya's gender and the even more sensitive purported results leaked to the media, South Africa's athletics body is also coming under fire.

The Sunday Times daily quoted three unnamed senior athletics officials as saying the team doctor had advised Athletics South Africa (ASA) president Leonard Chuene to withdraw Semenya from the Berlin team while questions hung over her biological make-up.

ASA went ahead and fielded Semenya, who was a strong medal hope after easily winning the title of African junior champion in July.