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Caster Semenya, the Olympic athlete who won gold in the 2009 World Championships before being publicly quizzed about her gender, has now been accused of being a hermaphrodite.

According to the Daily Mail, a Sydney newspaper claims it has a world exclusive in revealing the private information about the sex of the 18-year-old runner; the gender results of whom will not be officially released for another two weeks.

Quoting a source closely involved with the IAAF, the Sydney Daily Telegraph said Semenya had internal testes - male sexual organs which produce testosterone.

According to the Telegraph, Semenya is unaware of the allegations.

Earlier this week photographs of her were circulated from a press shoot for South Africa's You magazine, which featured her following a feminine makeover - a move which caused a split response from the lesbian community.

“I didn’t do this to prove a point but rather to have fun. I don’t give a damn what people say about me. I like me the way I am and who cares what other people say?" Semenya told the magazine.

"I enjoyed the shoot, wish I could do more, but I can’t because I don't have time for them. I have training to prepare for the Commonwealth Games, which are soon, and [studies] to get through at the same time."

The very public debate over Semenya’s gender has upset and angered her supporters and her family.

South Africans have been so protective of her that Mr Butana Komphela, an African National Congress MP, has lodged a complaint with the UN High Commission on Human Rights.