World Athletics Nears Goal on Female Gene Testing

World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe announced on Friday that the organization is "within touching distance" of achieving its aim to conduct gene testing on all female athletes before the start of the World Athletics Championships.

This mandatory testing, introduced in March, involves a one-time cheek swab or blood test to compete in the female category. Coe acknowledged challenges but emphasized that the goal was to test the female cohort before the championships, not necessarily to validate the tests in time.

The tests detect the SRY gene, present on the Y chromosome, which triggers male trait development in mammals. Athletes testing positive will undergo further investigation to determine their eligibility. Previous rules allowed athletes with Differences of Sexual Development (DSD), like Caster Semenya, to compete if they artificially lowered testosterone levels. Semenya, a notable DSD athlete, sees the rules as discriminatory and has engaged in legal battles regarding her participation.