World Athletics has announced sweeping new eligibility requirements that will fundamentally change how female competitors qualify for international track and field events. Chromosome testing is becoming mandatory for all athletes seeking to compete in women’s categories.
The groundbreaking regulations will take effect September 1, 2025, and will first be implemented at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo beginning September 13. Under the new framework, every athlete wishing to participate in female events must undergo a one-time genetic test for the SRY gene, which serves as a biological marker for determining sex assigned at birth.
The testing process designed for convenience and accessibility allows athletes to choose between a simple cheek swab or blood test. National federations will oversee the implementation as they prepare their teams for Tokyo, marking a historic shift in how the sport approaches gender eligibility at the elite level.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe emphasized the organization’s commitment to women’s athletics in announcing the changes. “The philosophy that we hold dear in World Athletics is the protection and the promotion of the integrity of women’s sport,” Coe stated. “It is really important in a sport that is permanently trying to attract more women that they enter a sport believing there is no biological glass ceiling. The test to confirm biological sex is a very important step in ensuring this is the case.”
The new policy represents the culmination of extensive research and consultation by World Athletics’ Gender Diverse Athlete Working Group, which spent more than a year examining legal, scientific, and social developments affecting gender-diverse competitors. Their recommendations approved by the World Athletics Council in March 2025 underwent broad consultation before final approval.
Central to the new framework is a redefined female category that primarily includes biological females, though specific exceptions have been carved out for athletes with certain medical conditions. The regulations accommodate biological males with Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome who have not experienced male puberty, as well as some athletes with differences of sex development under transitional provisions.
Notably, the rules also address athletes who have undergone gender-affirming treatment. Biological females who have used testosterone as part of male gender-affirming therapy must wait a minimum of four years after their last testosterone use before competing in female categories, with World Athletics determining specific timeframes case by case.
Coe underscored the biological basis for the decision-making process. “We are saying, at elite level, for you to compete in the female category, you have to be biologically female,” he explained. “It was always very clear to me and the World Athletics Council that gender cannot trump biology.”
The implementation comes with explicit safeguards designed to protect athlete privacy and dignity. World Athletics has committed to maintaining strict confidentiality, respecting gender identity without judgment, and never requiring surgical procedures as part of eligibility requirements.
The new regulations merge previously separate policies governing transgender athletes and those with differences of sex development, creating a unified approach to gender eligibility in international competition. This consolidation aims to provide clearer guidelines while addressing concerns about competitive fairness in women’s athletics.
World Athletics emphasized gratitude for the cooperation of member federations in implementing these significant changes. “We particularly want to thank our Member Federations for their support and commitment in the implementation of these new regulations,” Coe noted.
The Tokyo Championships will serve as the first major test of these new protocols, potentially setting a precedent for other international sporting bodies grappling with similar eligibility questions. As the athletics world prepares for this transition, the September implementation date gives federations and athletes several months to adapt to the new requirements.
