Biological sex tests almost complete ahead of Tokyo World Championship
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Reading Time: 2min | Fri. 29.08.25. | 18:00
Seb Coe insists female competition will be protected and preserved under his presidency of World Athletics
The biological sex tests introduced by World Athletics to ensure the integrity of women’s competition at the World Championships in Tokyo are almost complete.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe says 85% of tests were conducted during the period of national championships in recent weeks, whereas, as of 28 August, the figure is closer to 90%.
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The remaining athletes will be tested at holding camps on the eve of the championships in Tokyo.
Some of the tests, which are one-off and non-invasive swab or blood tests, have been done at Diamond League meetings.
“Member federations have really opted to be at the centre of this and I am really grateful to them,” says Coe. “UKA did most of their testing at the trials, for example."
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Coe stresses: “It is not gender testing. We are simply verifying female biology by testing for the identification of a Y chromosome. We need to do everything we can in athletics to preserve and protect the integrity of women’s sport and I am not prepared to do (jeopardise) that under my presidency.”
The SRY gene tests were announced in July to ascertain whether an athlete is eligible to compete in the female category.
Coe was speaking at the Diamond League in Zurich exactly one week before leaving for a week-long council and congress meetings in Tokyo, before the track and field action begins on Saturday, 13 September.
