All eyes are on South African middle distance runner Caster Semenya at the Rio Olympics. Try as she might, the gold medal favorite in Saturday's 800 meter finals can't seem to shake the controversy of reportedly (according to several media) being an intersex athlete, otherwise defined as an anatomically and genetically ambiguous person although she herself has never confirmed it.

At the heart of the debate is the burning question of whether Semenya should even be allowed to compete against other female athletes given her aforementioned condition and somewhat perceived advantage.

The Debate

A then 18-year-old Semenya burst on the scene and into the world public consciousness in 2009, when she easily lapped the field at the world championships in Berlin, attracting as much attention for her look and appearance as her skill and speed.

After the race, two of her peers openly questioned her sex.

"Just look at her," Russia's Mariya Savinova said back then of Semenya's broad shoulders and overall masculine appearance.

Added Italy's Elisa Cusma Piccione, "For me, she is not a woman. ... It is useless to compete with this, and it is not fair."

Publicly, Castor Semenya has said little about her situation, even after she was later subjected to sex verification tests seven years ago that were publicly leaked, confirming she had testosterone levels more than three times the average female stemming from a condition known as hyperandrogenism that naturally increases levels of the male hormone.

Scientifically, testosterone is estimated to give males a 10 to 13 percent boost over females, helping to breed the kind of muscle tone required of many elite level athletes.

Ross Tucker, a professor of exercise physiology at the University of the Free State in South Africa, has extensively studied the issue and treatment of intersex athletes. His findings suggest what Semenya is being forced to endure isn't as uncommon as what some might want to believe.

According to Tucker, back in the 1960s Olympic officials took on the unenviable task of testing athletes in an effort to expose males who might be posing as women.

"Female athletes were subjected to infamous nude parades, where they were examined by a panel of doctors," he said. Those who "passed," were given a document known as the "Certificate of Femininity."

IAAF Ruling

Five years ago the International Association of Athletics Federations ruled women with amped levels of testosterone would be required to bring those levels down below the normal range to compete against other women.

But last year, the Court of Arbitration for Sport suspended the IAAF's ruling, stipulating that it "was unable to conclude that hyperandrogenic female athletes may benefit from such a significant performance advantage that it is necessary to exclude them from competing in the female category."

That ruling stands for at least two years, paving the way for Semanya to be in Rio this month and in Olympic Stadium this week for the start of her much anticipated races.

This week, she tweeted an image of a poster that reads, "I truly believe my haters are my motivators."

Back home, the people of South Arica remain united behind her, recently launching the "HandsOffCaster" social media campaign that's been trending as her races approach.