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≡ GENE TESTING EXPANDS ≡
The World Athletics Council, meeting in Monaco, was informed that 1,015 female athletes took the once-in-a-lifetime SRY gene tests prior to and at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo (JPN).
The test was announced late, on 30 July 2025 ahead of the 13-21 Worlds, but with cooperation from many of the larger national federations – including USA Track & Field – tests were completed and results provided successfully.
Going into 2026, the testing-requested schedule was made available and will include:
● World Athletics Series events
● World Athletics Ultimate Championship
● Diamond League meetings
● Marathon Major Platinum events
This is more than two dozen events in all and a program for the 2026 World Athletics U-20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon is also being considered:
“Information on the plans for testing at the World U20 Championships will be developed by the end of March 2026, including detailed information on permission protocols for minors.”
The plan is for this testing protocol and eligibility to be gradually extended to cover almost all international competitions by 2030. The World Athletics competition rule 3.5 covering eligibility now reads:
● “3.5.1 In these Rules, ‘biological male’ means someone with a Y chromosome and ‘biological female’ means someone with no Y chromosome, irrespective of their legal sex and/or gender identity.
● “3.5.2 Only the following Athletes may compete in the female category:
“ a. Biological females.
“ b. Biological females who have used testosterone as part of male gender-affirming treatment further to a Therapeutic Use Exemption granted in accordance with World Athletics’ Anti-Doping Rules may not compete in the female category until the passing of a period of time after their last use of testosterone (the period of time will be not shorter than four years and will be determined by World Athletics on a case-by-case basis taking into consideration all relevant factors including the timing, duration, dosages, and effects of the male gender-affirming treatment).
“c. Biological males who have Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (or another rare disorder of gonadal development) and therefore have not gone through male sexual development including any type of male puberty.
“d. Biological males with a difference of sex development who satisfy the transitional provisions issued by World Athletics.”
For the listed competitions in 2026, “SRY test results will be requested by World Athletics from athletes competing in the female category at the [listed] events during 2026, unless they had a confirmed clear test result at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo.”
This is an important step for World Athletics, not only for its own competitions, but also for the continuing discussions – in which World Athletics is involved – at the International Olympic Committee level, where President Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) has a working group developing an approach for “protection of the female category.”
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