Female Athletes To Undergo Sex Testing Ahead World Championships
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe has confirmed that more than 95% of female athletes have completed mandatory gene testing ahead of the World Championships in Tokyo.
The test was introduced in March, and it was implemented for the first time at the World Championships which starts on Saturday.
It is designed to verify biological sex by detecting the presence of the SRY gene — or sex-determining region Y gene — on the Y chromosome.
Coe said on Tuesday that the test has been successful while revealing that some athletes will undergo the test in Japan.
He said: “I have to say this has been a successful whole sport response to a principle that we all fundamentally believe in, which is to protect, preserve and promote the female category.
“I’m actually comforted that thus far, we haven’t (had privacy complaints), and I think it’s because of the very nature and clarity around the testing and the processes.
“Our medical delegate is the only one that will see the test and if there is anything to be followed up on, they will follow it up directly with the athlete.
“You have all heard me talk about the sacrosanct nature of women’s sport and the preservation of that concept.
“We’ve had very little discussion about why we’re doing it, other than an absolute recognition that it is an important staging post in that commitment to women’s sport.
“The World Championships is a very, very good platform for us to understand more about what the future of this testing looks like.”
French athletes, and athletes of other nationalities training in France, are undergoing theirs in Tokyo because the one-off tests are illegal in France.
The test was one of several recommendations approved at March’s World Athletics Council meeting to tighten regulations over the eligibility of transgender and difference of sex development (DSD) athletes.
In March 2023, World Athletics introduced a ban for transgender athletes who had gone through male puberty from competing in the female category in international competition.
Female Athletes To Undergo Sex Testing Ahead World Championships is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
