World sports promote gender testing

Across the world of elite sports, with the World Athletics Federation leading the way, efforts are being made to ensure gender equity in competition.

Caster Semenya is a famous gender controversy case in athletics - Photo: REUTERS

Athletics breakthrough

Fall 2025 will mark a turning point in the history of gender verification in elite sports , when World Athletics (WA) announces new regulations requiring testing for the SRY gene - the gene that determines male gender.

Accordingly, starting from September 1, 2025, all athletes who want to compete in the female category at international tournaments in the world ranking system must undergo a lifetime test for the SRY gene via a cheek swab or dried blood sample.

Athletes who test positive (have the SRY gene) will be disqualified from competing in the women's category. Except in special cases such as disorders of gender development (DSD) but demonstrate competitive ability that does not rely on testosterone. Or were allowed under the old 2023 regulations, such as Christine Mboma, who is still allowed to compete while keeping her testosterone below the threshold.

Unlike older methods that focused on the hormone testosterone, the new regulations shift toward determining genetics: whether an athlete possesses the SRY gene, as a more definitive indicator of biological sex.

This SRY test is considered minimally invasive, similar to a COVID antigen test, and is only performed once in a lifetime with results securely encrypted on WA's system.

Notably, the old method - such as measuring testosterone or advanced testing with DSD - has been criticized for being unfair, making it difficult to determine with certainty who should compete in the women's category.

The international scientific community has responded positively and cautiously to the new regulation. Many experts support it as a clear step to draw a biological line in the sand to protect fairness in women's sports. Especially in the context of DSD becoming increasingly controversial.

However, many people are wary because the SRY gene can also appear in cases such as Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS). This can cause them to “fail” the SRY test even though they are still female, as happened to athletes at the Olympics in the 1990s.

Overall, the scientific community is still watching. And it will take time to assess the fairness and humanity of this method in the long term.

World trends

WA's new rules come amid a growing push for gender testing in elite sport.

World Boxing has made SRY testing mandatory since May 2025. Meanwhile, the World Aquatics Federation has opened an Open category for athletes who do not qualify for the two traditional categories.

On the political front, US President Donald Trump recently announced that he will test all female athletes at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The US even said it would set up a special task force headed by him to clarify biological sex in order to "prevent men from pretending to be women to compete".

With the naked eye, anyone can easily judge Semenya - Photo: WA

These developments show that the world of sports and politics are stepping up gender testing, with the determination that “gender cannot overcome biology” as stated by WA President Sebastian Coe.

There is no denying that recent controversies, such as Imane Khelif (Algerian boxing) and Lin Yu‑ting (Taiwanese boxing) at the 2024 Paris Olympics, have sparked huge debates about gender equality despite both being cleared by the IOC.

The world of sports is at a crossroads: on one side is the right to individual freedom, identity and humanity; on the other side is the pressure to ensure a fair playing environment for women.

However, any policy, whether based on science or the common good, needs to be open to criticism, so as not to harm athletes who are truly female but have biological exceptions.

HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/the-thao-the-gioi-day-manh-viec-kiem-tra-gioi-tinh-2025081311161882.htm