World Athletics approves gender eligibility test

World Athletics has approved the introduction of a one-time genetic test for elite athletes who wish to compete in the women’s category at international events.

The “pre-clearance requirement” is among several recommendations that have been approved at the World Athletics Council meeting to tighten regulations concerning the eligibility of transgender and difference of sex development (DSD) athletes.

The test for the SRY gene, which is “almost always on the male Y chromosome” and “is used as a highly accurate proxy for biological sex”, would need to be taken just once by an athlete during their career.

A cheek swab test would be used to look for the SRY gene, while a dried blood spot test could also be used to determine an athlete’s testosterone levels – in addition to the presence of the SRY gene.

Lord Coe, the governing body’s president, said the decision was further evidence that World Athletics would “doggedly” protect the female category.

In March 2023, World Athletics banned transgender athletes who had gone through male puberty from competing in the female category in international competition.

Last month, however, a World Athletics working group recommended a revision to eligibility regulations for male-to-female trans athletes, on the basis of fresh evidence which it said shows there is a “significant performance gap before the onset of puberty”.

The current rules for DSD athletes, meanwhile, require them to reduce their testosterone levels below 2.5 nmol/L for at least six months to compete in any female category event internationally.

World Athletics will now merge regulations for both DSD and transgender athletes after the working group said new evidence showed testosterone suppression “can only ever partly mitigate the overall male advantage in the sport of athletics”.

World Athletics said the pre-clearance SRY test provider, process and timeline will be agreed “over the next few weeks”.

Coe made “protecting” eligibility of the women’s category a key component of his bid to be elected International Olympic Committee president.

However, Coe finished third in the IOC election earlier this month as Kirsty Coventry won 49 of the 97 available votes to become the first female and African president.

Coe said on Tuesday: “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.”

During their meeting in China this week, the World Athletics Council also approved a recommendation that the current sanctions on Russian and Belarusian athletes are “adequate”.

Competitors from the two countries have been banned from World Athletics events, including under a neutral flag, since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Athletes have not been able to compete for Russia since November 2015 after state-sponsored doping was uncovered.

The doping suspension was lifted in March 2023, but the nation remained banned because of the war in Ukraine.

World Athletics said the sanctions “do not need to be replaced, added to or varied unless either the current circumstances deteriorate significantly or there is a peace agreement”.

It added: “In anticipation of peace at some stage, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) continues to maintain Russian and Belarusian athletes in its International Testing Pool (ITP)”.