IOC Mandates SRY Gene Testing for Female Athletes from 2028 Games

The International Olympic Committee has announced a new policy requiring athletes in the female category to undergo a one-time screening for the SRY gene, effective from the 2028 Los Angeles Games. This replaces the previous system, which left eligibility criteria to individual international federations.

Separately, an Australian LGBTQIA+ climbing advocacy group has called on its national federation to introduce an inclusive competition category for non-binary and gender-diverse athletes at national championships.

IOC Policy on Female Category Eligibility

The IOC has stated that all athletes seeking to qualify or compete in the female category at the Olympic Games, Youth Olympic Games, and Olympic qualifiers must undergo an SRY (sex-determining region Y) gene test. The test is typically conducted via a cheek swab, saliva sample, or blood sample.

IOC President Kirsty Coventry stated the decision was made to ensure fairness and safety in women's sport. The policy document cites scientific evidence suggesting a performance advantage for males, including a 10-12% edge in most running and swimming events, over 20% in throwing and jumping, and potentially more than 100% in explosive power sports. It notes that XY transgender athletes and athletes with XY-DSD typically have testes and testosterone levels in the male range.

"The presence of the SRY gene is constant throughout life and accurately indicates that an athlete has experienced male sex development."
— IOC Policy Document

Exceptions may be considered for athletes diagnosed with Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (CAIS) or other disorders in sex development, provided they do not benefit from anabolic or performance-enhancing effects of testosterone. The process for accessing these exceptions or appealing decisions remains undefined.

The policy applies to elite individual and team sports and does not apply to grassroots or recreational programs. It will not be applied retroactively.

Scientific Concerns

Professor Andrew Sinclair, who discovered the SRY gene in 1990 and has researched gonad development for over 30 years, has stated that SRY gene testing is not a reliable method for determining biological sex and should not be used to decide who competes in women's sports.

Sinclair argues that the policy is based on an "overly simplistic idea" that SRY gene presence equates to being male, emphasizing that male sex development is complex, involving multiple genes and hormones beyond SRY. The SRY gene's presence or absence does not fully determine the range of human sex characteristics. Individuals with differences in sex development (DSD) may carry the SRY gene but develop complete or partial female bodies, while others develop male bodies but lack SRY. The test only indicates the gene's presence, not its function, such as testis formation, testosterone production, or the body's ability to use it.

"SRY testing is not a reliable method for determining biological sex and should not be used to decide who competes in women's sports."
— Professor Andrew Sinclair, discoverer of the SRY gene

SRY testing at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics found positive results in eight of 3,387 female athletes. The test was discontinued by the IOC in 1999 for the 2000 Sydney Summer Games due to its inconclusiveness, significant cost of administration, confirmation, and counseling, and limited return.

Other Concerns Raised by Experts:

• Questions about the reliability, cost, and interpretation of test results
• Potential false positives from sample contamination
• Criticism that the policy invades the privacy of all women and could discriminate against intersex individuals
• The estimated $250 cost per screening could impose a financial burden on athletes and national federations
• Privacy issues associated with genetic testing, with some European countries prohibiting non-medical genetic testing
• A group of academics submitted a report to the British Journal of Sports Medicine labeling sex testing as a "backwards step and a harmful anachronism"

Historical Context and Notable Cases

The IOC previously used the SRY gene test in the 1980s. However, due to a number of false positives and concerns that female athletes were being penalized for natural variations, sex verification tests were abolished in the 1990s. Gender testing was initially used at the Olympics from 1968 and was last implemented at the 1996 Atlanta Games before being discontinued.

The issue of transgender and DSD participation has been a subject of discussion for over a decade.

Notable Cases:

• New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard, who became the first openly transgender woman to compete at an Olympics in 2021
• DSD athlete Caster Semenya, 800m Olympic gold medalist in 2012 and 2016
• Boxer Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan, who won gold medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics despite being disqualified from the 2023 World Championships due to alleged failures in gender eligibility tests
• Khelif has stated she is not transgender and has undertaken treatment to lower testosterone levels
• Lin Yu-ting has since been cleared to compete in the female category by World Boxing, which will oversee boxing at the 2028 Games

Reactions

Supporting:

"Protecting women's sport requires a fair playing field where gender does not supersede biology."
— World Athletics

• World Athletics, the international governing body for track and field, expressed support for the policy change
• The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) supported the new rules. AOC president Ian Chesterman described the subject as challenging and complex, emphasizing that "the decision offers clarity for elite female athletes and demonstrates a commitment to fairness, safety, and integrity in Olympic competition"
• Australian Olympic official Anna Meares commended the IOC's leadership, stating the policy provides clarity for young athletes
• The charity Sex Matters expressed support, with interim chair Emma Hilton stating that "SRY screening helps return female sport to female athletes"

Critical:

"We are deeply concerned about the proportionality of these eligibility rules and the potential harm to a vulnerable minority group."
— Dsdfamilies

• The charity Dsdfamilies voiced disappointment, raising concerns about proportionality and potential harm
• Pride Cup, an LGBTQIA+ advocacy group, called for national sporting bodies to reject the new guidelines, warning they could violate Australia's anti-discrimination laws
• Canadian human rights lawyer and Olympic swimmer Nikki Dryden expressed concern about the potential impact on "every girl playing Australian sport today"
• Monash human rights law expert Paula Gerber stated that the mandatory testing contravenes the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
• A systematic review published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine concluded that current evidence, consisting of 52 studies and 6,485 participants, does not support theories of inherent athletic advantages for transgender women over cisgender women

Australian Sport Climbing Initiative

ClimbingQTs, an LGBTQIA+ advocacy group and social climbing club in Australia, has called on Sport Climbing Australia (SCA) to introduce an inclusive competition category for non-binary and gender diverse climbers at national championships. The call follows negative experiences reported by non-binary climber Luce and trans woman Phoebe in competitive climbing, including misgendering and homophobic jokes.

SCA CEO Beck Hamilton responded positively, announcing plans to establish an inclusive competition category at national championships and to advocate for an inclusive world championship.

Inclusive categories are currently available only at state level in Victoria and New South Wales, and are not offered at national championships.

"We've got cisgendered members competing and winning at elite levels... Yet for our equally talented members that don't fit the traditional gender binary, the absence of inclusive competition climbing categories means they're unable to progress."
— Nick Rippon, ClimbingQTs national president

The proposed inclusive category aims to allow gender diverse climbers to compete at elite levels, but does not address the concerns of trans women wanting to compete in the women's category.