Seb Coe has confirmed that World Athletics will carry out one-off swab tests to determine eligibility for female category as president says he in confident plans can stand up to any legal challenges
Seb Coe has confirmed World Athletics will introduce cheek swabs to determine whether an athlete is biologically female, with the president claiming: “It’s absolutely the way to go.”
The governing body, which has already banned transgender athletes who have gone through male puberty from competing in female events, says the decision has been made to preserve the “integrity of competition” with Coe stressing that he is committed to “do whatever is necessary.”
Athletes will be required to provide a swab just once in their careers. A timescale for its introduction has not been set but insiders hope it will be in place before September’s World Championships in Tokyo. Lord Coe said: “It’s important to do it because it maintains everything that we’ve been talking about. Not just talking about the integrity of female women’s sport but actually guaranteeing it.
“We feel this is a really important way of providing confidence and maintaining that absolute focus on the integrity of competition.”
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World Athletics’ council commissioned a working group to explore options and Coe said athletes were consulted throughout the process. And he is also confident that the proposals can stand up to any legal challenges.
And while there are “caveats” around ensuring the testing is not intrusive, he added: “Overwhelmingly, the view has come back that this is absolutely the way to go.
“I would never have set off down this path to protect the female category in sport if I’d been anything other than prepared to take the challenge head on. We’ve been to the Court of Arbitration on our DSD (difference of sexual development) regulations.
“They have been upheld, and they have again been upheld after appeal. So we will doggedly protect the female category, and we’ll do whatever is necessary to do it.”
Meanwhile, Coe has reaffirmed his commitment to paying Olympic champions in track and field at the LA Games in 2028 after controversially introducing prize money for gold medallists in Paris last summer. The exact money is yet to be confirmed but Coe has hinted it will be worth more than last year’s $50,000.
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