Genetic testing garners extensive backing from Coe prior to the World Championships in Tokyo
World Athletics, the governing body for global athletics, has implemented a new policy requiring female athletes with DSD (Differences of Sex Development) who naturally produce high levels of testosterone to take medication to lower their levels in order to be eligible to compete in women's events.
This policy, which involves testing for the SRY gene, a part of the Y chromosome that causes male characteristics to develop, has received overwhelming support. Seb Coe, President of World Athletics, has stated that the test is non-invasive and does not hold or test for any other data besides verifying female biology.
The testing of athletes for the SRY gene has not been without its challenges. However, Coe has expressed his confidence that World Athletics will have met its mission to test for the SRY gene by the time of the Tokyo Games.
Coe has also mentioned that the preservation, protection, and promotion of the female category are a significant part of World Athletics' ethos. He has stated that the female category is "absolutely sacrosanct" for him.
Athletes who test negative for the Y chromosome are eligible to compete in the female category in world ranking competitions. On the other hand, if an athlete tests positive for the Y chromosome, they can only compete in the female category in non-world ranking competitions or in a category other than female.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF, now World Athletics) has been testing for the SRY gene. Many female athletes have personally thanked World Athletics for its approach to eligibility criteria for women's events.
It's worth noting that World Athletics is not promoting gene testing to other federations within the International Olympic Committee. Instead, Coe has stated that the decision to adopt gene testing is an autonomous judgment that each federation must make.
Some French athletes who could not be tested in France have been tested outside of the country. These athletes will be tested at the holding camp that the French team is currently in. The percentage of female athletes tested for the SRY gene in two national championships windows has risen to over 90%.
World Athletics' policy also includes a ban on transgender women who have gone through male puberty from women's events. Once the test has been used, the information is destroyed.
Coe has not attempted to promote gene testing to other federations, but he believes that the efforts to preserve, protect, and promote the female category are a part of World Athletics' DNA. The federations that have already adopted or plan to adopt the IAAF's SRY gene testing include World Athletics and several national athletics federations aiming to verify athlete eligibility based on sex criteria.
