World Athletics has approved the introduction of a biological sex test to determine an athlete’s eligibility for women’s competitions.
The governing body stated that athletes will be required to complete this “pre-clearance requirement” once in their career, with implementation targeted before the World Championships in Tokyo this September.
This decision comes as part of a broader effort to tighten regulations on transgender and difference of sex development (DSD) athletes following recommendations from the World Athletics Council.
Testing for the SRY Gene and Testosterone Levels
The new test will check for the SRY gene, which is found on the Y chromosome and is responsible for male biological development.
A cheek swab test will determine if an athlete carries the SRY gene.
A dried blood spot test may also be used to measure testosterone levels.
World Athletics described the test as “a highly accurate proxy for biological sex”, adding that athletes would only need to take it once in their careers.
Lord Coe: “We Will Doggedly Protect the Female Category”
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe reaffirmed the governing body’s commitment to safeguarding fairness in women’s sports.
“It’s important to do it because it maintains everything that we’ve been talking about, and particularly recently, about not just talking about the integrity of female women’s sport, but actually guaranteeing it.”
“We feel this is a really important way of providing confidence and maintaining that absolute focus on the integrity of competition.”
The decision follows a consultation in which the majority of stakeholders agreed that restricting female competition to biological women was necessary for fairness.
Merging DSD and Transgender Regulations
World Athletics will now merge the regulations for DSD and transgender athletes.
Previously, DSD athletes had to lower their testosterone levels for at least six months before competing in female events.
The new rules come after fresh evidence confirmed that testosterone suppression does not fully eliminate male physical advantages.
Existing Ban on Transgender Athletes Who Underwent Male Puberty
Two years ago, World Athletics banned transgender athletes who had undergone male puberty from competing in the female category.
This new regulation strengthens that stance by ensuring all female competitors meet the biological criteria.
Ban on Russian and Belarusian Athletes Remains Unchanged
During their meeting in China, the World Athletics Council upheld the ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes from all competitions due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
World Athletics confirmed the sanctions will not be changed unless circumstances “deteriorate significantly” or a peace agreement is reached.
“The current sanctions do not need to be replaced, added to or varied unless either the current circumstances deteriorate significantly or there is a peace agreement.”
Although Russia’s doping-related suspension was lifted in 2023, the country remains banned from international athletics due to the ongoing conflict.
However, Russian and Belarusian athletes are still included in the Athletics Integrity Unit’s (AIU) International Testing Pool (ITP) in anticipation of peace in the future.
World Athletics is working to finalize the testing procedures and timeline in the coming weeks.
If implemented by September, the new eligibility rules will impact selection for the World Championships in Tokyo and future women’s competitions.
