The International Athletics Federation (World Athletics) plans harden their regulations for the participation of trans women and diverse gender athletes in the women’s category, and for this he has opened a consultation of his new guidelines which will last until May.
From the beginning, the institution explains its objective of merging its eligibility standards for trans people and what they call “46xy DSD athletes” (that is, athletes with 46 chromosomes in which the PAR 23 is xy but who show a atypical development of different sexual characters). In practice, what is pursued is to completely prevent participation in the women’s category of Trans women (From March 2023 until now, their participation was allowed if they had undertaken a transition with hormonal blockers before puberty) and athletes with XY chromosomes that are not completely insensitive to the effects of testosterone.
To achieve this goal, the Federation proposes to demand a athletes a SLY GEN Test and, in certain cases, of the levels of testosterone in saliva or in dry blood.
What are these tests?
The genetic code of the vast majority of human beings (but not all, and the nuance is important) is contained in 46 DNA structures and proteins called chromosomes, which in turn are grouped into 22 pairs of autosomas and a pair of sex chromosomes. Within that last pair, there is one that is always of type x (it is called that because it literally has x) and another that can be of type x or type and, with less size; therefore, The pair can be of type xx or xy. This binarism will have a very important role in the sexual differentiation of the person from embryonic development to adulthood, although it is not the only factor that intervenes.
Thus, when a person’s genetic code has 46 chromosomes and the pair of sex chromosomes is XX, we say that he has 46xx career; When it has 46 chromosomes and the sexual torque is of type xy, we say it has 46xy career.
He SLY GEN Test It is a genetic analysis that simply accounts for the presence or absence of this gene in a person’s DNA. In typical cases, this gene is found in the short arm of the XY chromosome; Therefore, the test is a method that in most cases distinguishes between individuals with xy karyotype (when the result is positive) or xx karyotype. In addition, it should be noted that the SRY gene encodes one of the (several) proteins that, during embryonic development, cause the germ cells of the genitals to begin to form testicles. Therefore, if an individual has the gene, it is most likely that Have male genital phenotype: That is, it possesses penis and testicles instead of vulva, vagina, uterus and ovaries.
For its part, testosterone is a steroid hormone mainly produced by the testicles (and, to a lesser extent, by the ovaries) that intervenes in the development of the testicles themselves and the penis and other secondary sexual characters, from the bone structure and Muscle mass to the amount of body hair. That’s why, It is included in what are called androgenic hormones. The analysis of testosterone levels are normally performed in blood samples and measure the concentration of this hormone.
Atypical cases that could compete
Therefore, in most cases the SRY GEN test will separate athletes based on whether they have XX karyotype (they could participate in the women’s category) or XY (they could not participate in the category). Input, this eliminates the possibility that trans athletes compete in the women’s category.
In addition, the matter becomes more complex when we consider that there is everything A spectrum of individuals with atypical genetic and physiological characteristicsthat women could consider themselves (or who could be considered as women by laws in their countries of origin) but could Do not meet these requirements.
Of all this fan, the only casuistry that the regulations proposed by the International Athletics Federation contemplates that it can participate in the women’s category is that of individuals with xy karyotype but that have a dysfunction in the receptor of the cells that allow them to react to the presence of androgenic hormones such as testosterone To meet the institution’s requirements, this dysfunction must be complete; In these cases, people often present typically feminine external genitals despite having an XY career and lacking female internal genitals.
Cases that would stay out
On the other hand, there are people with a third chromosome in the sexual pair, which in the case of being XXY (Klinefelter syndrome) They would throw positive in the SRY test and they would have more or less developed male external genitals but that could have some female secondary sexual characters.
Also, there are people with xx karyotype but who have in one of the two x -sex chromosomes of the sexual pair A copy of the SRY gene (Chapelle syndrome); These people usually have male phenotype with typically masculine external genitals, although in rare cases they can present some mild anomaly.
Another possibility is that of people with xy karyotype and who therefore carry the SRY gene, but that carry a mutation of it or this is not functional. These people generally show female genital phenotypealthough a certain degree of variability has also been documented at this point.
As the proposal of the International Athletics Federation is written, these cases of diversity in sexual development in principle would be excluded from the female category, apart from their gender identity and even of its legally recognized genre in their countries of origin.
References
World Athletics (2025). CONSULTION – RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE ELIGILITY CONDIONS FOR THE FEMALE CATEGORY. Consulted online https://worldathletics.org/about-iaaf/documes/mer-federation-resource-centre#collaSeconsultations February 14, 2025.
MAY CLINIC LABORATORIES. Test ID: Sryf. Consulted online February 14, 2025.
Medlineplus. Could you have a low testosterone level? Consulted online February 14, 2025.
MAY CLINIC. Atypical genitals. Consulted online https://www.mayoclinic.org/es/diseases-conditions/atypical-genitalia/symptoms-causes/syc-20369273 February 14, 2025.
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