Overview

• The SRY gene test requirement takes effect on September 1 for all World Athletics world-ranking events, including the Tokyo World Championships from September 13 to 21.
• Female athletes must submit a one-time cheek-swab or blood sample, with national federations overseeing collection and accredited labs returning results within one to two weeks.
• A World Athletics working group determined that existing testosterone-based regulations were not strict enough, leading to the adoption of genetic sex verification.
• President Sebastian Coe said the policy ensures that only biologically female athletes compete in the women’s category to safeguard fair competition.
• Since July 1, the World Boxing Federation has enforced PCR-based Y-chromosome tests for women’s boxing, barring competitors whose tests detect male chromosomes.