World Athletics To Require DNA Tests For Female Athletes
The last version of chromosome testing for female athletes was discontinued in the 1990s.
World Athletics, the international track governing body, plans to require genetic testing for all female elite track and field athletes.
Sebastian Coe, President of World Athletics, announced the upcoming policy on Tuesday, March 25, at a World Athletics Council meeting in Nanjing, China. Track and Field is now the first Olympic sport to require DNA testing for female athletes.
“It’s important to do it because it maintains everything that we’ve been talking about, particularly recently, about not just talking about the integrity of female women’s sport, but actually guaranteeing it,” Coe told reporters. “This we feel is a really important way of providing confidence and maintaining that absolute focus on the integrity of competition.”
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The one-time “pre-clearance” genetic test would involve female athletes completing a cheek swab or dry blood test to determine chromosomal makeup and testosterone levels. The last chromosome testing that was required for athletes who compete in the female category was discontinued in the 1990s.
There’s currently no statement about whether or not the tests will be in place for the World Athletics Championship taking place in Tokyo this September. Coe said a testing provider will be confirmed over the next few weeks.
“The process is very straightforward, frankly,” he said. “Neither of these are invasive. They are necessary and they will be done to absolute medical standards,” he said in an attempt to downplay the DNA testing.
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In February, World Athletics announced it was reworking its guidelines to “reflect latest developments in science, sport and law.” This followed just days after Trump signed an executive order banning trans women from women’s sports.
In 2023, World Athletics banned transgender women from competing in track and field running events. The decision to require DNA tests, however, will not only further exclude trans people and tighten restrictions on intersex people, but it will also violate the privacy of all female athletes. The World Athletics argument of “sex verification” is not at all about fairness, but just another way to control women’s bodies.
