In a significant move to uphold “the integrity of competition,” World Athletics president Sebastian Coe announced on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, that the sport’s governing body will implement cheek swabs and dry blood-spot tests for female athletes.
The decision, approved after a two-day World Athletics Council meeting in Nanjing, revives a form of chromosome testing discontinued in the 1990s, aimed at identifying the presence of a Y chromosome—typically found in males—in athletes competing in the women’s category.
Speaking at a press conference, Coe emphasised that the one-time test is a critical step to ensure fairness in women’s sports. “This maintains everything we’ve been discussing, particularly recently, about not just talking about the integrity of female sport, but actually guaranteeing it,” he said. While it remains uncertain whether the tests will be ready for the September world championships, Coe noted that the regulations are being drafted, with a testing provider to be finalised soon.
Coe, a two-time Olympic champion who recently lost his bid for IOC presidency, has long championed “protecting the female category.” He reiterated his belief that the International Olympic Committee should lead on transgender policies rather than leaving decisions to individual sports. This stance follows World Athletics’ 2023 ban on transgender women who transitioned after male puberty, as well as February’s proposed rules targeting athletes born female with naturally high testosterone levels typical of males.
The announcement comes amid global debates on transgender participation in sports, heightened by U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent executive order barring transgender athletes from girls’ sports in the U.S. and urging the Olympics—set to be hosted by Los Angeles in 2028—to follow suit.
Addressing potential legal challenges, Coe expressed confidence in the policy’s robustness, citing prior victories at the Court of Arbitration for Sport over regulations on differences in sex development (DSD). “We will doggedly protect the female category, and we’ll do whatever is necessary,” he asserted, underscoring a commitment that began in 2016-2017.
For Greece’s athletics community and its international diaspora, this development raises questions about the future of fair play and inclusion in track and field, a sport with deep historical roots in the nation.
(Source: AP)