World Athletics has enforced new eligibility rules requiring all athletes competing in the female category at world-ranking events to undergo a one-time SRY gene test, www.aclsports.com reports.
The regulation takes effect on 1 September 2025 and will first apply at the World Championships in Tokyo (13–21 September).
Conducted through a cheek swab or blood sample, the screening is intended to determine eligibility for the female category. Member federations will oversee testing, with World Athletics contributing up to $100 per athlete to offset costs.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said the move was necessary to safeguard fairness: “At elite level, for you to compete in the female category, you have to be biologically female. Gender cannot trump biology.”
The decision follows more than a year of study and consultation by the Gender Diverse Athlete Working Group, whose recommendations were approved by Council in March 2025. These included merging the previous DSD (Differences of Sex Development) and Transgender Regulations, establishing a pre-clearance system for the female category, and clarifying the definition of eligibility.
World Athletics stressed that the policy does not question gender identity, guarantees confidentiality and privacy, and does not require surgery. The organization said the SRY test is highly accurate, with results typically available within one to two weeks.
The Tokyo Championships will be the first major competition where the new eligibility rules are enforced.
