For competitors who want to compete in the female division, World Athletics requires a gene test

In an effort to preserve the integrity of women’s sport, World Athletics announced on Wednesday that athletes will only be permitted to compete in the female division for world ranking events like the World Championships if they pass a one-time DNA test.

A cheek swab or blood test can be used for the once-in-a-lifetime SRY gene test, which aids in identifying biological sex.

The new rules take effect on September 1st, in time for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo from September 13th to 21st. Member federations will be in charge of the testing protocol.

In a statement, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe stated, “It is really important in a sport that is constantly trying to attract more women that they enter a sport believing there is no biological glass ceiling.”

A crucial step in making sure this is the case is the biological sex confirmation test. We are stating that you must be naturally female in order to compete in the female category at the highest level.

The World Athletics Council and I have always been adamant that biology cannot be overridden by gender. We would especially want to express our gratitude to our member federations for their dedication and support in putting these new rules into effect.

In the midst of concerns about the biological benefits for transgender athletes and athletes with variations of sex development (DSD), athletics has been discussing eligibility requirements for women’s competitions for years.

While World Athletics requires female DSD athletes whose bodies produce excessive levels of testosterone to lower them in order to be eligible, transgender women who have experienced male puberty are prohibited from participating in women’s competitions.

A working group concluded earlier this year that those regulations were insufficiently stringent, and among its many suggestions for new regulations was the requirement for a pre-clearance test for the SRY gene.

The existence of the Y chromosome, a sign of biological sex, is revealed by the SRY gene.

When World Boxing made sex testing mandatory for all boxers in May, they also approved the test.

Caster Semenya, the Olympic double 800-meter champion, appealed to a Swiss Federal Tribunal against rules that prevented her from competing, but the European Court affirmed that decision earlier this month.

Semenya was contesting World Athletics’ rule requiring female competitors with DSDs to lower their testosterone levels through medical means.