Safeguarding Fair Competition: World Athletics Takes Bold Step With Sex Verification Tests

World Athletics has approved the introduction of cheek swabbing to determine an athlete’s gender with the organisation’s president Sebastian Coe saying the decision was taken to “doggedly” protect the female category.

World Athletics has announced a groundbreaking measure to protect the integrity of women’s sports by introducing mandatory biological sex verification for all athletes entering female competitions.

Sebastian Coe, president of the governing body, revealed after a World Athletics Council meeting that they plan to implement non-invasive testing methods—either cheek swabs or dry blood tests—that would only need to be conducted once in an athlete’s career.

“This we feel is a really important way of providing confidence and maintaining that absolute focus on the integrity of competition,” Lord Coe explained, emphasising the straightforward and clear nature of the process.

The verification tests aim to determine if competitors have transitioned to female after experiencing male puberty or if they have differences in sex development that could provide testosterone-related advantages in competition.

It is the latest move overseen by Sebastian Coe – as president of the governing body – to address the gender eligibility issue, two years after banning anyone assigned male at birth from female events.

This decision builds upon World Athletics’ commitment to fairness in sport, following their 2022 policy that restricted individuals assigned male at birth from participating in female events. The governing body’s approach continues to prioritise creating a level playing field where women can compete with confidence that physiological advantages aren’t determining outcomes.

Lord Coe assured that the testing procedures would be conducted with the highest medical standards, balancing the need for verification with respect for athletes’ dignity. “Neither of these are invasive. They are necessary and they will be done to absolute medical standards,” he stated.

The announcement comes amid growing international attention to the issue of gender eligibility in sports. While the International Olympic Committee has previously expressed reservations about sex testing, incoming IOC President Kirsty Coventry has signalled a willingness to engage with the topic, acknowledging that different sports may require different approaches.

“What I was proposing is to bring a group together with the international federations and really understand each sport is slightly different,” Coventry told Sky News after her recent election. “We know in equestrian, sex is really not an issue, but in other sports it is.”

As sports governing bodies navigate these complex questions, World Athletics’ decision represents a significant step toward creating clear, science-based policies that protect competitive fairness while respecting all athletes.

Paul Knaggs