- Starting Sept. 1, female athletes in international competitions must undergo a one-time genetic test to verify biological sex.
- The test checks for the SRY gene, a determinant of male sex, and can be done via cheek swab or blood test.
- This follows a 2023 ban on transgender athletes who transitioned after male puberty.
Female athletes who want to compete on the international stage in women’s events will be required to undergo a one-time genetic test, the World Athletics Council announced.
The new changes take effect Sept. 1, just in time for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo that begin Sept. 13.
The test for the SRY gene, which is located on the Y chromosome and determines male sex in humans and other mammals, can be used to determine biological sex.
Female athletes can have the once-in-a-lifetime test conducted via a cheek swab or blood test, whichever is more convenient.
‘The philosophy that we hold dear in World Athletics is the protection and the promotion of the integrity of women’s sport. 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 to confirm biological sex is a very important step in ensuring this is the case,’ World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said.
In 2023, World Athletics banned transgender athletes who had transitioned male to female and gone through male puberty, and it previously announced earlier this year that changes were forthcoming to determine biological sex in competing athletes.
The organization said moving forward it would not judge or question gender identity, respect and preserve the dignity and privacy of individuals, and ‘never has and never would impose any obligation to undergo surgery.’
In the United States, President Donald Trump issued an executive order just last week, titled ‘Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,’ with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee telling the federations under its purview that they had an ‘obligation to comply’ with the order.
