World Athletics mandated SRY gene test on July 30, 2025 for all female contenders at the Championships
Test to be conducted through cheek swab or blood test
AFI makes it clear that non-compliance will render Indian athletes ineligible
Gene Test For Indian Female Athletes: Federation Launches Mandate For Tokyo World Championships
The Athletics Federation of India is following World Athletics' directive, which requires all athletes who want to compete in the female category at the World Championships 2025 in Tokyo to undergo a once-in-a-lifetime test for the Sex-determining Region Y gene
Summary
All the Indian female athletes qualifying for the forthcoming World Championships will have to undergo a gene test, according to the latest directive of the Athletics Federation India (AFI). The World Championships are slated to be held in Tokyo from September 13 onwards.
The Sex-determining Region Y (SRY) gene test is mainly used to identify the presence or absence of the SRY gene, which plays an important role in male sex determination during fetal development. The test result needs to be negative for an athlete to compete in the women's category in world-ranking events.
On July 30, 2025, World Athletics (WA) had made it mandatory for all athletes who want to compete in the female category at the World Championships to undergo a once-in-a-lifetime test for the SRY gene – a reliable proxy for determining biological sex.
WA had said that the test is to be conducted through a cheek swab or blood test, whichever is more convenient. The AFI sent a notice to all its affiliated units in this regard on August 13 to ensure compliance.
In its communication, the AFI mentioned that it was following a directive from the global governing body. "This is to inform you that World Athletics has introduced the SRY gene test for athletes who wish to compete at the world ranking competitions in the female category.
"In this connection it is pertinent to mention that all female athletes who meet the qualification standards for the World Athletics Championships 2025 Tokyo, Japan should undergo the SRY gene test in consultation with Athletics Federation of India," the AFI said in its communication.
The national federation made it clear that non-compliance will render the athletes ineligible.
WA president Sebastian Coe, while introducing the new regulation, had said: "We are saying, at elite level, for you to compete in the female category, you have to be biologically female. It was always very clear to me and the World Athletics Council that gender cannot trump biology."
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Parul Chaudhary (3000m steeplechase) has already secured her spot by breaching the qualification standard, while javelin thrower Annu Rani remains in contention through the world ranking quota.
(With PTI inputs)
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