World Athletics are introducing a gene test for athletes wishing to compete in the female category, the body said in a statement on Wednesday. The rule comes into force on September 1 and applies to all world ranking competitions, including the world championships in Tokyo, which start on September 13.
World Athletics are introducing a gene test for athletes wishing to compete in the female category, the body said in a statement on Wednesday.
The rule comes into force on September 1 and applies to all world ranking competitions, including the world championships in Tokyo, which start on September 13.
All athletes wishing to compete in the female category will be required to undergo a once-in-a-lifetime test for the SRY gene, "a reliable proxy for determining biological sex," World Athletics said.
"This is to be conducted via a cheek swab or blood test, whichever is more convenient," it added.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said: "The philosophy that we hold dear in World Athletics is the protection and the promotion of the integrity of women's sport.
"We are saying, at 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."
The gender eligibility debate gained a lot of attention after last summer's Olympic Games in Paris.
Algeria's Imane Khelif and Taiwan boxer Lin Yu-ting won gold medals at the Games after being allowed to compete by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
However, a year before, they were disqualified from the world championships, which is run by the International Boxing Federation (IBA), after allegedly failing eligibility tests.
The IOC, which has run the last two Olympic boxing tournaments because it has suspended IBA for various reasons, has said Khelif and Lin can compete because they born and identify as women.
Category: General Sports
