World Athletics to Require One-Time Gene Test for Female Category Competitors
World Athletics mandates SRY gene test for female competitors to ensure fair play and uphold biological eligibility standards.
- Starting September 1, athletes wishing to compete in the female category in world-ranking events must undergo a one-time gene test
- It can be done using a cheek swab or blood sample.
- The organization also proposed merging rules for transgender and difference of sex development (DSD) athletes
Starting September 1, athletes wishing to compete in the female category in world-ranking events must undergo a one-time gene test, announced World Athletics. This new regulation will first apply at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo from September 13-21.
The test screens for the presence of the SRY gene, which is located on the Y chromosome and triggers male biological development. It can be done using a cheek swab or blood sample. A negative result (no Y chromosome) qualifies the athlete to compete in the female category at world-ranking events. Those testing positive may only compete in female categories at non-ranking events or in other categories.
World Athletics President Lord Coe emphasized the importance of ensuring a level playing field for women, saying, “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.”
The test is described by World Athletics as highly accurate, with an extremely low chance of false results. Member federations will oversee the testing process.
In May, World Boxing adopted the same SRY test as part of mandatory sex verification protocols.
Coe stated, “At elite level, for you to compete in the female category you have to be biologically female. Gender cannot trump biology.”
This move follows the March 2023 decision by World Athletics to ban transgender athletes who have undergone male puberty from female-category international competitions. The organization also proposed merging rules for transgender and difference of sex development (DSD) athletes, noting that testosterone suppression only partially reduces male physiological advantages.
Current DSD regulations require athletes to lower testosterone levels below a threshold for at least six months before competing in female events internationally.
In July, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Caster Semenya’s rights were violated by the Swiss Federal Supreme Court in her 2020 challenge to World Athletics’ testosterone regulations, which have prevented the two-time Olympic gold medallist from competing in her signature 800m event since 2019. The ruling focused on Switzerland’s failure to protect her legal rights, not the legitimacy of DSD policies themselves.
