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The athletics governing body, World Athletics, recently issued compulsory genetic eligibility tests for female athletes just a month before the World Championships 2025 get underway in Tokyo. As per reports, these results will be determined through the SRY gene test, a cheek swab, or a blood test, and will be conducted by the respective associated national organizations.
Notably, if the Y chromosome is present in their genes, the concerned athletes will be barred from competing in the female category of world ranking competitions. The female athletes who are looking to compete at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, which start on September 13, will also have to go through these tests before that.
Speaking about this, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe shared that the track and field governing body is focused on working towards enhancing the integrity of women in the sport. Therefore, to promote this cause, eligibility testing is a major step in this direction. Coe said (via World Athletics):
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"The philosophy that we hold dear in World Athletics is the protection and the promotion of the integrity of women’s sport. 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."
Notably, the World Athletics president also remarked that in the highest division of the sport, the organizing body wants female athletes to be biologically female to compete in the division.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe opens up about the importance of the World Championships 2025 in Tokyo
Sebastian Coe recently opened up on the importance of the World Championships in Tokyo from a global viewership perspective. Speaking in an interview, Coe said that the 2024 Paris Olympics gave athletics a broader platform around the globe.
He added that he expects this fandom to be carried forward by the Championships in Tokyo this year, so that the Ultimate Championships next year can showcase the world about the existence of the sport. He said (via The Japan Times):
"Next year is unashamedly aimed at TV. So we go from '24, where we have a big global audience in the Olympic Games, to '25, which are world championships. 2026 now gives us, in September, an opportunity for the world to remember we're big and punchy and still there."
Notably, Coe has been a decorated middle-distance runner himself during his active days. He is a two-time gold medalist, having achieved this feat in the 1500m event at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics.
