World Athletics planning amendments to female eligibility guidelines

World Athletics has begun a consultation period for an updated set of regulations for transgender and difference-of-sex development (DSD) athletes, with a cheek swab test among several proposals being considered, the governing body said on Monday.

In 2023, track and field’s global governing body voted to ban transgender women who have gone through male puberty from competing in women’s events and announced the formation of a working group to further study the issue of trans inclusion.

In the findings announced by the working group on Monday, it said exclusively basing the regulations on whether or not an athlete had gone through male puberty was wrong.

“New evidence clarifies that there is already an athletically significant performance gap before the onset of puberty,” it added.

“The childhood or pre-pubertal performance gap in the sport of athletics specifically is three to five per cent in running events, and higher in throwing and jumping events.

“New evidence establishes that athletic disadvantages associated with female body structure and physiology contribute to the performance gap.”

The working group laid out five recommendations, including formally affirming the design of the female category, revising eligibility regulations and adopting a pre-clearance requirement for all athletes competing in the category.

It also suggested putting female DSD athletes – like double Olympic 800-metre champion Caster Semenya – under the same set of rules as transgender athletes.

Under World Athletics’ current rules, female DSD athletes must lower their level of testosterone to below 2.5 nmol/L for at least six months to compete. This can be done medically or surgically.

“The current TG regulations exclude transgender women who have experienced male puberty, while the DSD Regulations provide that XY DSD athletes with the same experience are included,” the working group said.

The working group recommended the use of a sex screening method like a cheek swab or dry blood spot analysis for athletes wishing to compete in the elite female category, which would test for the male-determining SRY gene.

The consultation period for the working group’s proposal began on Monday and will continue until March 5.

‘CLEAR POLICIES’

World Athletics boss Sebastian Coe said it was vital for the guidelines to be updated.

“World Athletics is a leader in preserving the female category in sport and one of the first international sports federations to establish clear policies on female eligibility in elite sport…,” he added.

“Preserving the integrity of competition in the female category is a fundamental principle of the sport of athletics and we look forward to this collaborative consultation process with our key stakeholders in this area.”

Transgender inclusion in sport has been widely discussed in recent weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump this month signed an executive order attempting to exclude transgender girls and women from female sports.

Transgender advocacy groups say excluding trans athletes amounts to discrimination.

Critics of transgender inclusion in women’s sports say going through male puberty imbues athletes with a huge musculoskeletal advantage that transition does not mitigate.