Johannesburg - One day after suspending the federation's board and several employees for their handling of the Caster Semenya gender controversy, the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee has suspended the membership of Athletics South Africa.

"Sascoc has suspended Athletics South Africa as a member of SASCOC with immediate effect," South Africa's Olympic governing body said in a statement on Friday.

The federation's suspension comes after SASCOC received a letter from attorneys representing ASA claiming that SASCOC did not have the authority to suspend its board members or employees.

ASA claims in the letter, SASCOC said, that the Olympic body's decisions had been "unreasonable, procedurally and substantively unfair".

But in the organisation's statement, SASCOC's executive said it "wishes to place on record that SASCOC has jurisdiction in the Republic and over its members, officials and athletes through SASCOC membership and that ASA is a member of SASCOC.

"Also," the statement continued, "members (including ASA) are subordinate to Sascoc and must comply with the Constitution of Sascoc and any directives issued by Sascoc. Members' constitutions may not be in conflict with the Constitution of SASCOC.

"Furthermore, SASCOC, through its board, has the power to oversee, direct, control, administer and, if necessary, manage the activities of its members."

SASCOC added that ASA had indicated it would not respect the directives and/or resolutions of the Olympic body and had engaged in acts of "misconduct and misdemeanours in relation to the Caster Semenya affair which brought SASCOC into disrepute".

SASCOC said it had no intention of "becoming involved in a mud- slinging to-and-fro slanging match conducted in the media," adding that it was following "due process and protocol".