by Rob Harris, Sky News
Sebastian Coe, president of World Athletics, says the governing body feels the mandatory tests for athletes are “a really important way of providing confidence”.
World Athletics will introduce mandatory testing for anyone entering female competitions to verify their biological sex, insisting it is necessary to protect women’s sport.
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.
Lord Coe said after a World Athletics Council meeting today that they could adopt non-invasive cheek swab tests or dry blood tests that only have to be carried out once on an athlete.
“This we feel is a really important way of providing confidence and maintaining that absolute focus on the integrity of competition,” he said.
The tests would seek to verify if someone has transitioned to a female after going through male puberty or if they had differences of sex development that provided testosterone advantages.
Testing providers are now being sought.