World Athletics Proposes Stricter Rules for Transgender and DSD Athletes

The new guidelines, open for consultation, aim to address fairness in female categories by incorporating scientific findings and stricter eligibility criteria.

World Athletics has launched a consultation process to revise eligibility rules for transgender and DSD athletes in female categories, running from February 10 to March 5, 2025.
The proposed rules include a cheek swab test to determine biological sex and standardize regulations for transgender and DSD athletes based on new scientific evidence of performance advantages.
The revisions follow recommendations from a working group and reflect findings that male-like advantages exist even before puberty, impacting competition fairness.
The stricter rules would bar transgender women who have undergone male puberty and DSD athletes with testosterone levels in the male range from competing in female events.
The changes come after Donald Trump issued an executive order banning transgender athletes from women’s sports, prompting global debate on inclusion and fairness in athletics.