World Athletics set to implement new swab test and stricter rules for transgender and DSD athletes

World Athletics is introducing a swab test for elite athletes wishing to compete in the women’s category at international events.

This “pre-clearance requirement” is part of a series of changes aimed at tightening regulations on the eligibility of transgender and athletes with differences in sex development (DSD).

In March 2023, World Athletics banned transgender athletes who had undergone male puberty from competing in the female category.

However, based on new evidence suggesting a “significant performance gap before the onset of puberty,” the governing body is revising eligibility rules for male-to-female trans athletes.

Current regulations for DSD athletes require them to lower their testosterone levels below 2.5 nmol/L for at least six months before competing in female events.

World Athletics now proposes that the rules for DSD and transgender athletes should align, given new findings that indicate testosterone suppression only partially mitigates the male advantage in both groups.

A World Athletics council meeting next month is expected to determine when these new regulations will take effect.

Lord Coe, president of World Athletics, emphasized that these proposed rules are designed to ensure fairness and maintain a level playing field in the female category, aligning with the latest available data.