Johannesburg - The results of sex tests performed on controversial South African champion runner Caster Semenya will not be made public as had been expected, South Africa's sports department said Thursday.

The sports department in Pretoria said in a statement it had "agreed with the IAAF (world athletics body) that whatever scientific tests were conducted legally within the IAAF regulations will be treated as a confidential matter between patient and doctor."

"As such there will be no public announcement of what the panel of scientists has found," the statement added, calling for "all South Africans and other people to respect this professional ethical and moral way of doing things."

The results of the tests performed on the 18-year-old athlete in Berlin and South Africa had been eagerly awaited following newspaper reports that the tests showed Semenya to be intersex.

The IAAF had been expected to reveal the results at a board meeting in Monaco on Friday and Saturday, at which the federation was due to make a ruling on Semenya's eligibility to compete against women.

On Wednesday, however, the IAAF said it was delaying the ruling on the basis that the tests were incomplete.

The IAAF requested the tests on Semenya before the World Athletics Championship in Berlin in August because of her masculine appearance and rapidly-improved times over the past year.

The news of the tests broke on the eve of her victory in the 800 metres, humiliating the teenager and causing an outpouring of sympathy and support for her at home.

The IAAF says it does not suspect of her cheating but that she may have an unusual condition that gives her an advantage over other women athletes.

Athletics South Africa president Leonard Chuene had protested vehemently over the IAAF test announcement, only to later admit that ASA had also tested Semenya's gender in Pretoria before the Berlin championships.

Semenya's family and coach say she was tricked into the test.

Chuene and the ASA board have been suspend over their handling of the affair. (dpa)