World Athletics to initiate mandatory genetic testing of women athletes to ban trans women from competing

Sebastian Coe, President of World Athletics has announced the organisation will initiate genetic testing of women athletes to ban trans women from competing.

While full details have yet to emerge, female athletes will likely be required to undergo a one-time cotton swab or dried blood spot test before being allowed to compete in events.

Speaking at a press conference, Coe, who recently failed in his bid to become President of the International Olympics Committee (IOC) with only eight votes, said: “The process is very straightforward, frankly very clear, and it’s an important one. We will look for a testing provider, we will work on the timelines, and the tests will only need to be done once in the career life of an athlete.”

This is not the first time genetic testing will take place at the Olympics. From 1958 to 1992, the Olympics used the Barr Body test, which was criticised by geneticists, who argued that it didn’t consider physical and psychological sex attributes. Determining sex by chromosomes has also been highly contested, as other genes and factors can influence a person’s sexual development, especially for intersex people.

The IOC voted to discontinue conducting gender verification tests in 1999.

In has been reported that World Athletics is still looking for a provider willing to carry the tests out and the organisation is hoping to have testing in place by September, in time for the Athletics World Championships.

“Preserving the integrity of competition in the female category is a fundamental principle of the sport of athletics,” Coe added.

Few trans athletes have competed in the Olympics; at the 2020 Summer Olympics Alana Smith became the first ‘out’ trans Olympian to medal, winning a gold medal when they competed in women’s skateboarding.