Mandatory genetic testing introduced last year to verify the sex of female track and field athletes has been branded a 'backwards step' and a 'harmful anachronism' by a group of 34 academics. The tests, implemented by World Athletics, target the SRY gene to ensure only biologically female athletes compete in the women's category at elite level.
In a report submitted to the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the academics argue that the testing violates athletes' human rights, creates stigma, and causes psychological distress. Professor Alun Williams from Manchester Metropolitan University stated: 'There are already stigma and shame to people both inside and outside of sport arising from these regulations.'
The report challenges the scientific basis of the tests, noting a lack of robust data linking the SRY gene in athletes with differences in sexual development to athletic performance advantages. It also criticises World Athletics' claim that the tests are straightforward and preserve dignity, highlighting 'practical challenges, legal constraints, and huge ethical problems' across 214 member federations.
World Athletics defended the policy, with a spokesperson stating: 'Biological men competing against biological women violates the human rights of thousands of female athletes.' They added that all athletes at the 2023 World Championships successfully underwent the test, which was implemented with 'clear communication, counselling, confidentiality, and robust follow-up processes.'
The International Olympic Committee is expected to issue a consensus statement on protecting the female category in the first quarter of this year, according to President Kirsty Coventry.
