Ahead of the upcoming athletics world championships in Japan, World Athletics has confirmed that the majority of female athletes have undergone sex testing. The tests, which involve genetic screening to establish an athlete’s sex at birth, have been completed for over 95% of participants leading up to the event in Tokyo. The remaining tests for the French and Norwegian teams, as well as some athletes based in France where genetic testing for non-medical purposes is prohibited, will be conducted in Tokyo before the competition begins.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe expressed that the comprehensive sex testing initiative is a collective effort to safeguard the integrity of the female category within the sport. World Athletics reintroduced chromosome testing, a practice discontinued in the 1990s, making it mandatory for female athletes competing in women’s events to undergo the test at least once during their careers. In March, the organization approved the use of cheek swabs and dry blood-spot tests for female athletes to uphold fair competition standards.
The deadline set by World Athletics for athletes to undergo gene testing before the world championships was September 1. Additionally, the governing body for Olympic-style boxing recently announced the implementation of sex testing for all female fighters participating in the women’s division at the world championships in Liverpool, England.
This proactive approach by sports organizations aims to ensure fairness and transparency in competitive sports.