Tokyo: World Athletics is set to introduce a gene test for athletes aspiring to compete in the female category, as announced in a statement on Wednesday. This new regulation, which will be enforced from September 1, applies to all world ranking competitions, including the upcoming world championships in Tokyo, slated to begin on September 13.
According to Ghana News Agency, the new rule mandates that athletes wishing to compete in the female category undergo a once-in-a-lifetime test for the SRY gene, which World Athletics identifies as a reliable proxy for determining biological sex. The test can be performed via a cheek swab or a blood test, depending on convenience.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe emphasized the organization's commitment to maintaining the integrity of women's sport. He stated, "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 debate over gender eligibility has intensified following last summer's Olympic Games in Paris. Algerian athlete Imane Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting secured gold medals at the Games after being permitted to compete by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). However, a year prior, both athletes were disqualified from the world championships, governed by the International Boxing Federation (IBA), after allegedly failing eligibility tests.
The IOC, which has overseen the last two Olympic boxing tournaments due to its suspension of the IBA, has affirmed that Khelif and Lin are eligible to compete as they were born and identify as women.
