The ANC hijacked the return of athletes from the IAAF World Championships in Berlin and turned it into a political rally, Cope said on Wednesday.

It also criticised ANC Youth League president Julius Malema's "breathtaking paranoia" in accusing the "white media" of not supporting 800m gold medallist Caster Semenya, Congress of the People spokesperson Phillip Dexter said in a statement.

"The Cope notes with concern the African National Congress hijacking the return of South African athletes from the International Association of Athletics Federations World Championships, turning it into a political rally."

Politicians and ANC members, including MP Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and Athletics SA president Leonard Chuene converged on OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on Tuesday to congratulate the athletes.

Dexter said Malema's comments that more white people would have been at the airport if the Springbok rugby team had been there, were "nothing more than destructive vitriol".

Instead of the ANC celebrating Semenya and 800m men's race winner Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, as well as long jump silver medallist Kgotso Mokoena, the ANC chose to "politicise" their achievements.

Referring to Semenya's gender testing, Dexter said: "After the unfair treatment of Caster Semenya, to turn her ordeal into nothing more than a political football for the purpose of further dividing the nation undermines her strength as a woman, an athlete and most importantly, as a human being."