The World Athletics Council has approved new regulations requiring all athletes competing in the female category for world ranking competitions to undergo a one-time SRY gene test as a condition for eligibility, using the gene as a reliable proxy for determining biological sex.
This test is to be conducted via a cheek swab or blood test, whichever is more convenient, World Athletics said in a statement on Wednesday.
The new regulations come into effect on September 1, 2025 and will be applied to the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025, which begins on September 13.
It said the testing protocol will be overseen by member federations as they prepare their athletes and teams for the World Championships in Tokyo.
Commenting on the new regulations and SRY test, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: “The philosophy that we hold dear in World Athletics is the protection and the promotion of the integrity of women’s sport. It is really important in a sport that is permanently trying to attract more women that they enter a sport believing there is no biological glass ceiling. The test to confirm biological sex is a very important step in ensuring this is the case.”
“We are saying, at the elite level, for you to compete in the female category, you have to be biologically female. It was always very clear to me and the World Athletics Council that gender cannot trump biology,” Coe continued.
“We particularly want to thank our member federations for their support and commitment in the implementation of these new regulations,” he added.
The new regulations follow recommendations from the Gender Diverse Athlete Working Group approved by the council in March 2025. The working group spent over a year studying developments in law, science, sports and society concerning gender-diverse athletes.
The female athlete category is defined in the Eligibility Rule 3.5, which states that only the following athletes may compete in this category:
— Biological females;
— Biological females who have used testosterone as part of male gender-affirming treatment further to a Therapeutic Use Exemption granted in accordance with World Athletics’ Anti-Doping Rules may not compete in the female category until the passing of a period of time after their last use of testosterone (the period of time will be not shorter than four years and will be determined by World Athletics on a case-by-case basis taking into consideration all relevant factors including the timing, duration, dosages and effects of the male gender-affirming treatment);
— Biological males who have Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome and therefore have not gone through male sexual development including any type of male puberty; and
— Biological males with a difference of sex development who satisfy the transitional provisions issued by World Athletics.
The transitional provisions do not apply to transgender women as none are competing at the elite international level under the current regulations, World Athletes said.
It added that the new female athlete category regulations will be implemented with the following standing commitments:
— World Athletics does not judge or question gender identity;
— World Athletics respects and preserves the dignity and privacy of individuals;
— World Athletics strictly observes confidentiality obligations and complies with data protection laws; and
— World Athletics never has and never would impose any obligation to undergo surgery.