World Athletics President Sebastian Coe expressed confidence that all female athletes participating in this year’s world championships in Tokyo will have undergone gene testing, despite some facing challenges to meet the September 1 deadline. Athletes arriving at the September 13-21 event without prior testing will have the opportunity to complete the process in Tokyo.
Coe emphasized that while the majority of athletes will have been tested before arriving in Tokyo, arrangements are in place to conduct tests for any outstanding athletes. However, Coe warned member federations against delaying testing until reaching Tokyo.
The decision to introduce gene testing to verify the biological sex of athletes was approved by World Athletics in March. The testing process has encountered some hurdles, with Canadian athletes needing to retake tests due to non-compliance with regulations and French athletes undergoing testing outside their country after tests were deemed illegal in France.
Coe mentioned that over 90% of female athletes set to compete in Tokyo have already been tested, indicating progress towards the testing goal. Despite facing criticism, Coe stated that the new rule has received significant support from the global athletics community.
Looking ahead to the championships in Tokyo, Coe highlighted strong ticket sales and the participation of top athletes like Noah Lyles, Letsile Tebogo, Julien Alfred, Grant Holloway, and Mondo Duplantis, underscoring the high level of competition expected at the event.