Hundreds of people have turned out to see Ms Semenya and her teammates, male 800m winner Mbulaeni Mulaudzi and high jump silver medallist Kgotso Mokoena.

South Africans have rallied behind Ms Semenya, who was asked to take a gender test just hours before winning the 800m final in Berlin last week.

The whole team is expected to meet President Jacob Zuma later.

Reporter say the intention is to shift the emphasis back to the country's sporting achievements and show that it stands proud despite the controversy.

Racism charge

The BBC's Mpho Lakaje at the OR Tambo airport in Johannesburg says hundreds of people, led by the ANC women's league, have gathered to welcome the South African team, including Caster Semenya.

Some are wearing the national colours of gold and green and are singing and dancing as they wait.

Ms Semenya's father Jacob Semenya is at the airport to welcome his daughter home, the Associated Press news agency reports.

The ANC Youth League has accused the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) of racism.

"We must celebrate our athlete's victory despite the attempts by racist institutions to undermine what she has achieved. We are proud of her," ANCYL's national spokesperson Floyd Shivambu told the BBC.

Ms Semenya's family in Limpopo province have insisted that she is a girl and shown the BBC her birth certificate, which states she is female.

Athletics South Africa President Leonard Chuene last week told a local paper that he had to "persuade" the athlete to go to the podium to accept her gold medal because the she was so upset about the gender row.

The women's league said it views the IAAF's order for "as [a] vicious attack on the dignity of Caster Semenya and all women athletes because they suggest that women can only perform to a certain level and that those who exceed this level should be men".

The IAAF ordered Ms Semenya to take the "gender verification test" after she improved her personal best by more than eight seconds over the past year.

The IAAF stresses that it does not suspect her of deliberately cheating but questions whether she may have a rare medical condition which gives her an unfair advantage.

BBC