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Japan Today
30 minutes ago
- Sport
- Japan Today
World Athletics brings in gene tests for female category eligibility
The sport of athletics is introducing a test to establish gender Track and field athletes aiming to take part in the female category in elite competitions will have to take a gene test from September, World Athletics has announced. The test will be in place in time for the World Championships which take place in Tokyo on September 13-21. "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," said World Athletics president Sebastian Coe. "The test to confirm biological sex is a very important step in ensuring this is the case." The test for the SRY gene, which is part of the Y chromosome and causes male characteristics to develop, can be done by a cheek swab or a blood test. If the athlete tests negative for the Y chromosome they are eligible to compete in the female category in world ranking competitions. If it is positive, they can only compete in the female category in non-world ranking competitions or in another category other than the female one. The test will be administered by member federations. World Athletics says the test is "extremely accurate", adding: "The risk of false negative or positive is extremely unlikely." The SRY test is the same one adopted by World Boxing when it brought in mandatory sex testing for all competitors this year. Coe said in a statement on Wednesday: "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 sport of athletics has long considered introducing eligibility criteria for women's events, amid questions over biological advantages for transgender athletes and those with differences of sex development (DSD). Transgender women who have gone through male puberty are currently banned by World Athletics from competing in women's events, while the federation requires female DSD athletes whose bodies produce high testosterone levels to take medication to lower them in order to be eligible. © 2025 AFP
The Citizen
9 hours ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
World Athletics brings in gene tests for female category eligibility
'The risk of false negative or positive is extremely unlikely.' Track and field athletes aiming to take part in the female category in elite competitions will have to take a gene test from September, World Athletics has announced. The test will be in place in time for the World Championships which take place in Tokyo on September 13-21. '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,' said World Athletics president Sebastian Coe. 'The test to confirm biological sex is a very important step in ensuring this is the case.' The test for the SRY gene, which is part of the Y chromosome and causes male characteristics to develop, can be done by a cheek swab or a blood test. If the athlete tests negative for the Y chromosome they are eligible to compete in the female category in world ranking competitions. If it is positive, they can only compete in the female category in non-world ranking competitions or in another category other than the female one. The test will be administered by member federations. World Athletics says the test is 'extremely accurate', adding: 'The risk of false negative or positive is extremely unlikely.' 'Have to be biologically female' The SRY test is the same one adopted by World Boxing when it brought in mandatory sex testing for all competitors this year. Coe said in a statement on Wednesday: '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 sport of athletics has long considered introducing eligibility criteria for women's events, amid questions over biological advantages for transgender athletes and those with differences of sex development (DSD). Transgender women who have gone through male puberty are currently banned by World Athletics from competing in women's events, while the federation requires female DSD athletes whose bodies produce high testosterone levels to take medication to lower them in order to be eligible.
Al-Ahram Weekly
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Al-Ahram Weekly
World Athletics brings in gene tests for female category eligibility - Omni sports
Track and field athletes aiming to take part in the female category in elite competitions will have to take a gene test from September, World Athletics has announced. The test will be in place in time for the World Championships, which take place in Tokyo on September 13-21. "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," said World Athletics president Sebastian Coe. "The test to confirm biological sex is a very important step in ensuring this is the case." The test for the SRY gene, which is part of the Y chromosome and causes male characteristics to develop, can be done by a cheek swab or a blood test. If the athlete tests negative for the Y chromosome, they are eligible to compete in the female category in world ranking competitions. If it is positive, they can only compete in the female category in non-world ranking competitions or in another category other than the female one. Member federations will administer the test. World Athletics says the test is "extremely accurate", adding: "The risk of false negative or positive is extremely unlikely." The SRY test is the same one adopted by World Boxing when it brought in mandatory sex testing for all competitors this year. Coe said in a statement on Wednesday: "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 sport of athletics has long considered introducing eligibility criteria for women's events, amid questions over biological advantages for transgender athletes and those with differences of sex development (DSD). World Athletics currently bans transgender women who have gone through male puberty from competing in women's events. At the same time, the federation requires female DSD athletes whose bodies produce high testosterone levels to take medication to lower them to be eligible. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
RTÉ News
a day ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Mandatory sex testing for female events at World Athletics Championships
Athletes wishing to compete in female events at September's World Championships in Tokyo will need to take a test to determine their biological sex. World Athletics announced on Wednesday that it had approved the introduction of testing to avoid what its president Sebastian Coe called a "biological glass ceiling". From 1 September, athletes will need to undergo a cheek swab or blood test – only once in their lifetime – to determine if they are biologically female and therefore eligible for the female category in world-ranking events. The World Championships get under way on 13 September. World Athletics said the testing protocol would be overseen by national federations. The move to introduce testing followed the World Athletics Council's approval in March of recommendations from its Gender Diverse Athlete Working Group. Coe said: "The philosophy that we hold dear in World Athletics is the protection and the promotion of the integrity of women's 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. "The test to confirm biological sex is a very important step in ensuring this is the case. "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. "We particularly want to thank our member federations for their support and commitment in the implementation of these new regulations." Earlier this month, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights ruled that two-time Olympic 800 metres champion Caster Semenya's right to a fair hearing in the Swiss legal system had been violated. Semenya, an athlete with differences of sexual development (DSD), has fought a long legal battle since World Athletics introduced rules requiring her to lower her testosterone levels in order to compete. The ECHR ruling is almost certain to mean the case returns to the Swiss courts but at this stage has no impact on track and field's eligibility criteria. World Boxing, now recognised by the International Olympic Committee as that sport's official international federation, has also introduced mandatory sex testing in order to be eligible for its female events. IOC president Kirsty Coventry said last month there was "overwhelming support" within her organisation to ensure fairness in female sport, and said a working group had been set up to find "consensus" on the issue.
The Hindu
a day ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
EXPLAINED: World Athletics' SRY gene test for athletes wishing to compete in the female category
The World Athletics Council has approved new regulations concerning eligibility conditions to compete in the female category for world ranking competitions. The new regulations will come into effect on September 1, 2025 and will be applied to the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, that begins on September 13. All athletes wishing to compete in the female category at the World Championships are required to undergo a once-in-a-lifetime test for the SRY gene – a reliable proxy for determining biological sex. This is to be conducted via a cheek swab or blood test, whichever is more convenient. The testing protocol will be overseen by individual athletics federations as they prepare their athletes and teams for Tokyo Championships. World Athletics President Sebastian Coe labelled this move an important step in attracting more women to athletics. 'The philosophy that we hold dear in World Athletics is the protection and the promotion of the integrity of women's 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. The test to confirm biological sex is a very important step in ensuring this is the case. '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,' added Coe. The new regulations follow recommendations from the Gender Diverse Athlete Working Group approved by Council in March 2025. The female athlete category is defined in WA's Eligibility Rule 3.5, which states that only the following athletes may compete in this category: a. Biological females. b. Biological females who have used testosterone as part of male gender-affirming treatment further to a Therapeutic Use Exemption granted in accordance with World Athletics' Anti-Doping Rules may not compete in the female category until the passing of a period of time after their last use of testosterone (the period of time will be not shorter than four years and will be determined by World Athletics on a case-by-case basis taking into consideration all relevant factors including the timing, duration, dosages and effects of the male gender-affirming treatment). c. Biological males who have Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome and therefore have not gone through male sexual development including any type of male puberty. d. Biological males with a difference of sex development who satisfy the transitional provisions issued by World Athletics.
