World Athletics introduces mandatory one-time gender test for female athletes

From September, female track and field athletes wishing to compete in world ranking competitions will be required to undergo a mandatory one-time genetic test to prove their biological sex.

In an announcement, World Athletics outlined that a test for the SRY gene will be implemented on September 1, with results enforced at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo beginning September 13.

According to World Athletics, screening for the SRY gene is considered a reliable proxy for determining biological sex, as the test is extremely accurate.

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The test, which can be conducted via a cheek swab or blood test, reveals the presence of a Y (male) chromosome.

The Y chromosome carries the SRY gene, which causes the development of male sex characteristics.

Women typically have two X chromosomes (XX), while men have one X and one Y chromosome (XY).

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said the new regulations will be implemented to "promote" the integrity of women's professional 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," he said.

"The test to confirm biological sex is a very important step in ensuring this is the case.

"We are saying, at [the] elite level, for you to compete in the female category, you have to be biologically female. It was always very clear to me and the World Athletics Council that gender cannot trump biology."

Female athletes whose tests detect the SRY gene will not be allowed to compete in world ranking competitions.

Once passed, athletes will not need to be tested again.

The new regulations come in the wake of intense gender outcry over biological advantages in women's sport, and signify a shift in World Athletics' approach to eligibility in the female categories, moving towards a more explicit biological definition of sex.

Under Coe, World Athletics has banned transgender women who have gone through male puberty from competing in female categories at international events.

The governing body's policy also requires athletes with differences in sex development (DSD) whose bodies produce high testosterone levels to medically lower their levels to be eligible.

Earlier this year, a working group found these rules regarding transgender and DSD athletes were not strong enough, with a pre-clearance test for the SRY gene being one of several recommendations the group made to better preserve female sports.

This month, the European Court ruled that two-time 800m Olympic champion Caster Semenya's appeal against regulations preventing her from competing was not properly heard by the Swiss judicial system, though the 2023 ruling did not address the lawfulness of the regulations themselves.

Semenya, who has naturally high testosterone, has been effectively banned from high-level competitions since refusing to lower her levels as required by World Athletics' DSD regulations.

This decision means her case will likely return to the Swiss Federal Tribunal.

In May, the same test for the SRY gene was also approved by World Boxing, the governing body for the sport's amateurs. However, the body introduced mandatory sex testing for all athletes.