Sports and Competition Sports and Competition
Wed, March 26, 2025
Tue, March 25, 2025

World Athletics to require chromosome testing in women's track and field


Published on 2025-03-25 15:45:44 - Sportsnet
  Print publication without navigation

  • World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said Tuesday that the track and field's governing body has approved the introduction of cheek swabs and dry blood-spot tests for female athletes in order to maintain "the integrity of competition.

The article from MSN discusses a new policy by World Athletics, the international governing body for track and field, which will mandate chromosome testing for female athletes starting in March 2023. This decision aims to address concerns about fairness in women's sports by ensuring that athletes competing in the female category do not possess a Y chromosome, which is typically associated with male biological traits. The policy has sparked controversy and debate over issues of gender identity, privacy, and discrimination. Critics argue that it could unfairly target and exclude women with natural variations in sex development (DSD), like Caster Semenya, who has been at the center of similar disputes in the past. Proponents, however, believe it's necessary to maintain competitive equity in women's athletics. The implementation of this rule has raised significant ethical and scientific questions about how gender and sex are defined and regulated in sports.

Read the Full Sportsnet Article at:
[ https://www.msn.com/en-ca/health/other/world-athletics-to-require-chromosome-testing-in-women-s-track-and-field/ar-AA1BDYFL ]