- Female eligibility guidelines being updated to reflect latest developments in science, sport and law
- Widespread consultation will take place with key stakeholders
World Athletics today launched a new consultation process on its eligibility conditions for the Female Category and the current DSD Regulations and Transgender Regulations.
The consultation period, which lasts from 10 February – 5 March 2025, is a recommendation by its Working Group on Gender Diverse Athletes and has been approved by the World Athletics Council.
The Working Group was established with the specific task of keeping abreast of developments in science, sports, law and society concerning gender diverse athletes.
The Working Group’s mission is to enable World Athletics to be thorough and considered about the implications of any such developments for its programming, eligibility rules, and educational initiatives as the organisation upholds its core commitments to its elite global community.
In the course of its work through 2024, the Working Group learned of key scientific developments that, in light of its core commitments, make it appropriate to amend the DSD and TG Regulations.
Taking the above into consideration, and the fundamental principle of World Athletics to preserve the integrity of the Female Category, the Working Group submitted the following five recommendations to Council in December 2024 which were approved and are now set for consultation:
• Formally affirm the design of and goals for the Female Category.
• Revise the eligibility regulations so that they are consistent with the design and goals.
• Merge the DSD and Transgender Regulations and, if the effect is to restrict opportunities for DSD athletes, adopt measures to address the reliance interests of those who are currently in the pipeline.
• Adopt a pre-clearance requirement for all athletes competing in the Female Category.
• Consider forward initiatives, including to support elite gender diverse XY Athletes.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: “World Athletics is a leader in preserving the female category in sport and one of the first international sports federations to establish clear policies on female eligibility in elite sport.
“While our current Eligibility Regulations for DSD and Transgender athletes are robust and based on the science available at the time of our last consultation, several scientific developments in this field have emerged since then and it is our role, as the global governing body for athletics, to ensure that our guidelines keep up with the latest information available to maintain a fair and level-playing field in the Female Category.
“Preserving the integrity of competition in the Female Category is a fundamental principle of the sport of Athletics and we look forward to this collaborative consultation process with our key stakeholders in this area.”
Any standing DSD and Transgender Regulations will be implemented with the following standing commitments:
• World Athletics does not judge or question gender identity;
• World Athletics respects and preserves the dignity and privacy of individuals;
• World Athletics strictly observes confidentiality obligations and complies with data protection laws;
• World Athletics never has and never would impose any obligation to undergo surgery.
The full consultation document setting out the background, the key developments since March 2023 (when the current DSD Regulations and Transgender Regulations were last consulted on) and the recommendations to revise eligibility conditions to the Female Category can be found here.
WORLD ATHLETICS
