World Athletics
World Athletics is the international governing body for athletics, known as the IAAF until 2019.
The policy
In March 2023, the World Athletics Council decided that transgender women who have gone through male puberty would no longer be allowed to compete in women’s events counting toward the world rankings from 31 March 2023. According to the federation, an earlier proposal involving a testosterone limit received little support. Since 1 September 2025, athletes wishing to compete in women’s events counting toward the world rankings have had to undergo a one-time test for the SRY gene.
What you can find
The website contains regulations, press releases, results and rankings; the press release on the 2023 decision can be found there. The policy, which also affects athletes with variations in sex development, is controversial: the federation cites fair competition, while critics speak of exclusion. See society and international developments.
The 2023 decision in detail
The proposal that the federation initially put to its members and other stakeholders stated that transgender women could compete if their testosterone levels remained below 2.5 nanomoles per litre for 24 months. When this received little support, the Council opted for exclusion. At the same time, the Council established a working group for twelve months, with an independent chair, Council members, representatives of the Athletes’ Commission, a transgender athlete and representatives of national federations. At the same meeting, the federation tightened the rules for athletes with variations in sex development. They must keep their testosterone levels below 2.5 nanomoles per litre for at least 24 months, and this has applied to all events since then rather than only distances from 400 metres to one mile. Athletes who had already competed in other events were subject to a six-month transitional arrangement. President Sebastian Coe said that decisions are difficult when rights conflict, but that fairness for female athletes is the federation’s priority.
The SRY test
The federation announced the new rules on 30 July 2025. The test detects the SRY gene, which the federation describes as a reliable indication of biological sex. Athletes can choose between a cheek swab and a blood test. National federations organise the testing. The rules took effect immediately for the World Championships in Tokyo, which began on 13 September 2025. They combine the previous regulations for transgender athletes and athletes with variations in sex development, with a transitional arrangement for some members of the latter group. The International Olympic Committee later adopted the same test; see IOC restores women’s category in elite sport.
How to use and assess this source
The press releases set out the federation’s rules and rationale. A British campaign group advocating such rules is Fair Play For Women. For criticism of the policy and the rules of other federations, such as World Aquatics, see gender and sport.