Track and field's international governing body is instituting a test to keep 'transgender athletes' out of women's competition, and others are calling for the NCAA to mandate the test.
(LifeSiteNews) -- World Athletics Council president Sebastian Coe announced a “non-invasive” test for athletes before they participate in female sports.
At a press conference on Tuesday in Nanjing, China, Coe said the test will consist of a cheek swab inside an athlete’s mouth or a dry blood test.
“We will doggedly protect the female category, and we’ll do whatever is necessary to do it,” Coe told reporters.
Although the average sports fan is likely unfamiliar with the World Athletics Council (WAC), it is actually quite powerful in that it serves as the governing body of the highest, non-Olympic track and field events on the planet.
Every two years, the WAC hosts the World Athletics Championships, where gold, silver, and bronze medals are awarded to the top three finishers. Many winners go on to claim Olympic glory. In 2023, the group voted to ban “transgender athletes” from elite races and other contests reserved for women.
Coe’s test will verify if an athlete’s sample carries a genetic surrogate for a Y chromosome, which is present in males, the organization announced.
A WAC press release further noted that “the majority of stakeholders consulted last month on the proposed new eligibility conditions for the female category agreed that allowing only biological female athletes to compete in the female category was essential to maintaining fairness.”
Female sports advocates have used the news to call on the NCAA to also have a test.
“World Athletics has announced they will verify sex via cheek swabs at the elite level. Good!” Riley Gaines said on X. “NCAA should follow suit.”
Following an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in February, the NCAA changed its 2010 policy to no longer allow gender-confused men like William “Lia” Thomas to compete against women. But some states, like Maine, are refusing to go along with the order, which Trump has said will result in them losing federal dollars.
