World Athletics Introduces Cheek Swab Test to Confirm Female Gender for Competitors
World Athletics has officially approved the implementation of a cheek swab test aimed at determining whether an athlete is biologically female. This significant decision was announced by Sebastian Coe, the president of the international track and Field Federation, during a press conference following the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China.
Coe emphasized the importance of this measure for maintaining the integrity of women’s sports. “It’s important to do it because it maintains everything that we’ve been talking about regarding not just the integrity of women’s sport but actually guaranteeing it,” he stated. The new policy comes as part of a broader initiative to ensure fair competition within the female category.
The decision was reached after extensive consultations, with Coe noting that the overwhelming feedback supported this direction. He reassured that the cheek swab test would not be overly intrusive, aiming to provide confidence in the integrity of competition.
“We feel this is a really important way of providing confidence and maintaining that absolute focus on the integrity of competition,” he explained. Coe expressed confidence that the new policy would withstand legal challenges, acknowledging the complexities of navigating such issues in today’s sporting landscape.
“I would never have set off down this path to protect the female category in sport if I hadn’t been prepared to take the challenge head-on,” he asserted. He highlighted the previous legal backing for their regulations regarding athletes with differences in sex development (DSD), which have been upheld by the Court of Arbitration and reaffirmed after appeals.
This announcement comes just a week after Coe’s bid for the presidency of the International Olympic Committee fell short, losing to Kirsty Coventry, the former Olympic swimmer from Zimbabwe.
