Track and field sets Sept. 1 deadline for female eligibility gene tests ahead of worlds in Tokyo
World Athletics said in March it would require chromosome testing by cheek swabs or dry blood-spot tests for female athletes to be eligible for elite-level events.
The next worlds open Sept. 13 in Tokyo and Sept. 1 is 'the closing date for entries and the date the regulations come into effect,' World Athletics said in a statement.
The latest rules update gives certainty for the 2025 championships in an issue that has been controversial on the track and in multiple courts since Caster Semenya won her first 800 meters world title as a teenager in 2009.
Semenya won a ruling at the European Court of Human Rights three weeks ago in Strasbourg, France, in the South Africa star's years-long challenge to a previous version of track and field's eligibility rules affecting athletes with medical conditions known as Differences in Sex Development. That legal win because she did not get a fair hearing at the Swiss supreme court did not overturn track's rules.
World Athletics drew up rules in 2018 forcing two-time Olympic champion Semenya and other athletes with DSD to suppress their elevated natural testosterone levels to be eligible for international women's events. Semenya refused to take medication.
Now, the Monaco-based track body requires a 'once-in-a-lifetime test' to determine athletes it says are biologically male with a Y chromosome.
'We are saying, at elite level, for you to compete in the female category, you have to be biologically female,' World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said.
The governing body is covering up to $100 of the costs for each test with the protocol overseen by its member federations at national level. Test results should be ready within two weeks.
'The SRY test is extremely accurate and the risk of false negative or positive is extremely unlikely,' World Athletics said.
World Athletics has combined its eligibility framework for DSD and transgender athletes, with transitional rules that let 'a very small number of known DSD athletes' continue competing if they are taking medication to suppress natural testosterone.
'The transitional provisions do not apply to transgender women as there are none competing at the elite international level under the current regulations,' World Athletics said.
Now age 34, and her track career effectively over, Semenya should now see her legal case go back to the Swiss federal court in Lausanne, where she lost her original appeal against track and field's rules at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
___
AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
a minute ago
- Forbes
U.S. Championships: Melissa Jefferson-Wooden Wins National Title Over Gabby Thomas
Things continue to get "bigger and better" for Melissa Jefferson-Wooden. On Sunday, the 24-year-old added one more event to her roster in Tokyo, sweeping the 200-meter gold. She posted her lifetime best of 21.84 to win her third national title. This win comes after Jefferson-Wooden clocked a new world lead in the 100-meter dash on the first day of the U.S. Track and Field Championships. Dominating the event from the start of the season, she managed to claim the title with ease, surpassing Kayle White in 10.65, her fifth fastest time ever. After the 100-meter race, the sprinter moved on to the next "big thing," winning the 200-meter gold on the last day of the championships. This season, she is getting out of her comfort zone to "embrace" the 200-meter category. She edges out an impressive lineup, including 200-meter Olympic champions Gabby Thomas and Brittany Brown, as well as 25-year-old McKenzie Long, to create history on the tracks of Oregon. She is now the first athlete to sweep both 100-meter and 200-meter events at U.S. national championships since Torri Edwards in 2003. In a surprising turn of events, Anavia Battle picked up silver in 22.13. Thomas, clocking a time of 22.20, claimed the third spot, ahead of Brown and Long in a photo review. What Lies Ahead For Melissa Jefferson-Wooden? The reigning bronze Olympic medalist in the 100-meter category, Jefferson-Wooden, has remained undefeated in the event for almost a year and currently holds the second position in the world rankings, as per World Athletics. But this year, she has also significantly improved her performance in the 200-meter dash. She was a standout at the inaugural edition of the Grand Slam track meet, completing a three-for-three winning streak in Philadelphia, where she recorded her previous personal-best 200-meter time in 21.99. She surpassed Thomas to run the fastest 200-meter time recorded at storied Franklin Field. Since claiming a gold medal in the 4x100-meter relay and a bronze in the 100-meter dash at the Paris Olympics, the sprinter has emerged as the next big thing for the U.S. team in individual events. Nonetheless, she will face tough competition in Tokyo next month. In the 100-meter, Jefferson-Wooden will face Sha'Carri Richardson, who has a bye in the event as a reigning world champion. Gabby Thomas, who faced an Achilles injury ahead of the USTAF championships alongside the demanding schedule of being an Olympic champion, will also look forward to regaining her dominance in the 200-meter. 'There are girls out here who are hungry, and they're making a name for themselves. I need to be able to compete with that. Today definitely reminded me of that.' Julien Alfred, who has continued to maintain her momentum since last August, will undoubtedly be a significant threat in both events. However, for Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, 'the sky is the limit' this season, and she will aim to continue adding more titles to her name in Tokyo.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Lille in talks to sign Brest's Bradley Locko
Following the departures of Ismaily and Gabriel Gudmundsson, Lille OSC are in the market for a new left-back this summer. Romain Perraud has been heavily linked with a move to LOSC, however, now understands that they are in talks to sign Stade Brestois' Bradley Locko (23). Locko was one of the best left-backs in Ligue 1 during the 2023/24 campaign, however, he missed almost the entirety of the 2024/25 campaign after suffering an ACL injury in pre-season. Prior to that injury, he had been heavily linked with a move away from Brest. Nottingham Forest were notably keen on the France U21 international. He could be on the move this time around. Whilst Brest are trying to extend his current deal, which expires in 2027, Lille have opened talks with the Breton club. Brest are asking for a fee of around €10m and Locko himself is open to a move to Les Dogues. GFFN | Luke Entwistle
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Dutch foundation launches class action lawsuit against FIFA over transfer rules after Diarra ruling
A Dutch group seeking compensation on behalf of soccer players who might have lost income due to transfer regulations has filed a class action lawsuit against the sport's governing body FIFA and five other football associations. The Justice for Players foundation said in a statement Monday that men and women across the world who have played for a club in the European Union or the United Kingdom since 2002 are eligible to join the legal procedure. The legal move follows a landmark ruling from top EU court last year stating that some parts of FIFA's transfer regulations did not comply with the bloc's laws on competition and freedom of movement for labor. The foundation says it is fighting for the right of players 'whose earnings were compromised as a result of FIFA's restrictive rules on termination of contracts and transfers." In addition to FIFA, Justice For Players is also taking legal action against the national football associations of the Netherlands, France, Germany, Belgium and Denmark. 'Preliminary estimates indicate that the number of affected footballers may comprise approximately 100,000 players,' it said. By ruling in the Lassana Diarra case that some FIFA regulations on player transfers are contrary to EU legislation relating to competition and freedom of movement, the European Court of Justice has paved the way for deep changes in the sport's economy. Diarra, a former Real Madrid, Arsenal and Chelsea player, signed a four-year contract with Lokomotiv Moscow in 2013. The deal was terminated a year later after he was unhappy with alleged pay cuts. FIFA and then the Court of Arbitration for Sport found the Russian club terminated the contract 'with just cause' and ordered the player to pay 10.5 million euros ($11.2 million). Diarra argued his search for a new club was affected by FIFA rules, making his next employer jointly responsible for paying compensation to Lokomotiv. Some analysts have compared the ruling to the 1995 decision on Belgian Jean-Marc Bosman. That ruling removed restrictions placed on foreign EU footballers within national leagues and allowed players in the bloc to move to another club for free when their contracts ended. But for now, the decision on Diarra has not changed how the global soccer transfer market, worth more than $10 billion each season, functions. Justice for Players said that economists at Compass Lexecon consulting firm estimate that FIFA regulations caused the affected players to earn about 8% less over their careers. 'All professional football players have lost a significant amount of earnings due to the unlawful FIFA regulations,' said the foundation chair, Lucia Melcherts. 'The past and even current system unduly favours FIFA who has far too much unilateral power. In any other profession, people are allowed to change jobs voluntarily.' For further information please visit:
