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All Indian female athletes qualifying for next month’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo must undergo a gene test in line with the policy of the international governing body of the sport.
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With just a month to go for the World Championships, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) will facilitate SRY gene testing for the Y chromosome that helps in the development of male characteristics. If the test result is negative, an athlete can participate in the female category in world-ranking events.
“For those female athletes who qualify for the world championships, the federation will get the gene test done because we can’t leave it to the respective state associations of the athletes as there is not enough time. But we have issued a circular to state associations to start the gene test for their top athletes or those who are expected to participate in international events or world ranking events. This is following a circular to the federation from World Athletics,” AFI spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla told The Indian Express on Thursday.
In June, World Athletics said it has ‘approved new regulations concerning eligibility conditions to compete in the female category for world ranking competitions’ which will come into effect from September 1 and would be applicable for the World Championships.
The world body had mandated that all those wanting to compete in the female category at the World Championships must undergo a once-in-a-lifetime test for the SRY gene.
“This is to be conducted via a cheek swab or blood test, whichever is more convenient. The testing protocol will be overseen by Member Federations as they prepare their athletes and teams for the Championships in Tokyo,” World Athletics said.
In the statement, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe had said: “The philosophy that we hold dear in World Athletics is the protection and the promotion of the integrity of women’s sport. It is really important in a sport that is permanently trying to attract more women that they enter a sport believing there is no biological glass ceiling. The test to confirm biological sex is a very important step in ensuring this is the case. 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.” .
In March 2023, World Athletics had banned transgender athletes who had gone through male puberty from competing in the female category in international competitions.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
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