- World Athletics implemented mandatory SRY gene testing last September for female track and field athletes, aiming to ensure only biologically female individuals compete at the elite level.
- World Athletics President Sebastian Coe stated the testing was introduced to “protect and promote the integrity of women’s sport.”
- A group of 34 academics, including Professor Alun Williams, has criticised the testing as a “backwards step” and “harmful anachronism,” arguing it violates athletes’ human rights and lacks scientific basis.
- The academics' report highlights that the testing is a simplistic approach to sex, risks creating stigma and distress and lacks robust data linking the SRY gene to athletic performance advantages.
- World Athletics defended its policy, asserting it protects the human rights of female athletes and that extensive research supports the performance advantage of biological men in sport.
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