Track and field athletes who want to compete in female categories at world ranking events will have to take a one-time mandatory gene test as of 1 September this year.
The test detects the presence of the Y chromosome, typically present in males. It can be conducted using either a blood sample or a cheek swab.
This means the athletes wishing to participate in women’s track and field events at the World Championships from 13 to 21 September are required to have submitted a test before 1 September, which is also the date that entries close.
Context
In March, World Athletics announced that it would be introducing chromosome testing for athletes competing in female events. The eligibility testing is part of a wider series of moves which World Athletics President Sebastian Coe says will guarantee the “integrity of women’s sport”.
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In 2023, the governing body banned athletes who have gone through the early stages of male puberty from women’s events.
It then announced in February that it would seek to impose a stricter policy to ban athletes with differences in sex development (DSD), also known as intersex. These athletes are assigned female at birth, but may experience some aspects of male puberty. World Athletics’ current rules require these athletes to lower their testosterone levels to a certain level for six months before they are allowed to compete.
World Athletics said its decision is backed by research that shows that individuals assigned male at birth have an advantage in athletic events, even without going through puberty.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe told reporters that athletes would only have to take the gender eligibility test once in their careers.
