Female athletes must undergo mandatory genetic testing to participate in elite athletics competitions from 1 September, the sport’s global governing body has announced.
The requirement for a single SRY gene test applies to all world-ranking events, including the upcoming Tokyo World Championships scheduled for 13-21 September.
The examination, which detects the presence of a Y chromosome to establish biological sex, can be performed using either a cheek swab or blood sample.
Member federations will supervise the implementation of these testing procedures.
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The new DNA test has been brought in to protect women’s sport in athletics
The decision represents the latest development in athletics’ prolonged struggle to establish clear eligibility criteria for women’s competitions.
The sport has grappled with complex questions surrounding competitive fairness for transgender athletes and competitors with differences of sex development.
Sebastian Coe, president of World Athletics, emphasised that the new measures aim to eliminate biological advantages in women’s competitions.
“It is really important in a sport that is permanently trying to attract more women that they enter a sport believing there is no biological glass ceiling,” Coe stated.
He underscored the organisation’s stance on eligibility requirements: “We are saying, at elite level, for you to compete in the female category, you have to be biologically female.”
The athletics chief made clear that biological considerations would take precedence in determining competition categories.
“It was always very clear to me and the World Athletics Council that gender cannot trump biology,” he said.
Coe acknowledged the backing received from athletics federations worldwide, thanking them for their commitment to implementing the new protocols.
The sport has faced extensive controversy over participation rules, particularly regarding athletes with differences of sex development.
Current regulations prohibit transgender women who experienced male puberty from participating in female categories, whilst athletes with DSD who produce elevated testosterone must medically suppress their levels to compete.
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Lord Seb Coe insisted ‘that gender cannot trump biology’
Double Olympic 800-metre champion Caster Semenya has been at the centre of this debate. The European Court recently upheld a 2023 decision that her challenge to a Swiss Federal Tribunal had not received proper consideration.
Semenya had contested World Athletics rules requiring DSD athletes to reduce their testosterone levels through medical intervention.
Her case has become emblematic of the broader disputes surrounding biological advantages and fairness in women’s athletics competitions.
A working group’s assessment determined that existing regulations required strengthening, leading to the recommendation for pre-clearance genetic screening. The SRY gene test emerged as a key proposal among several suggested modifications to current rules.
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Caster Semenya won her appeal to the European Court of Human Rights concerning testosterone regulations recently
Boxing’s international governing body adopted identical testing requirements in May, mandating genetic screening for all competitors.
The new athletics framework consolidates previous separate protocols for transgender and DSD athletes into unified eligibility standards.
These changes follow recent legal developments, including the European Court’s ruling on Semenya’s case, which has renewed focus on the ongoing eligibility debate.
The once-only testing requirement means athletes need only undergo the procedure a single time throughout their competitive careers.