World Athletics has taken a significant step to ensure fairness in women’s sports by introducing a biological sex test for athletes competing in the female category.
- This move aims to “doggedly protect the female category,” according to Lord Coe, the governing body’s president.
The test, which will be conducted once in an athlete’s career, involves a cheek swab or dried blood spot test to detect the presence of the SRY gene, typically found on the Y chromosome. This gene causes male characteristics to develop and is considered a “highly accurate proxy for biological sex”.
World Athletics plans to implement this testing before the World Championships in Tokyo this September, although the exact timeline is yet to be confirmed.
The decision is part of a broader effort to tighten regulations around the eligibility of transgender and difference of sex development (DSD) athletes.
Key aspects of the new policy include:
– *Pre-clearance requirement*: Athletes will need to complete the test once in their career to compete in the female category.
– *Testing method*: Cheek swab or dried blood spot test to detect the SRY gene.
– *Timeline*: Implementation aimed for before the World Championships in Tokyo this September.
– *Regulatory changes*: World Athletics will merge regulations for DSD and transgender athletes, citing new evidence on the limitations of testosterone suppression in mitigating male advantages in athletics.
