World Athletics mandates gender test for Tobi Amusan to confirm if she's a woman

Nigeria's hurdling queen Tobi Amusan and other female athletes will compulsorily have to undergo a gender test to confirm if they're biologically women.

According to the new rule released by World Athletics, a new eligibility requirement has been added requiring that all athletes competing in the female category must undergo a one-time genetic test to confirm biological sex — a move aimed at preserving the integrity of women’s sport.

The test, which detects the presence of the SRY gene — a marker found on the Y chromosome — will be conducted via cheek swab or blood sample.

It'll come into effect on September 1, 2025, just days before the World Championships begin on September 13, in Tokyo.

Speaking on the new rule, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe emphasized the importance of the regulation.

"We are saying, at elite level, for you to compete in the female category, you have to be biologically female. Gender cannot trump biology," said Coe in a press release by World Athletics.

The regulation follows recommendations from the Gender Diverse Athlete Working Group, which studied developments in law, science, and sport over the past year. It merges previous rules on transgender and DSD (Differences of Sex Development) athletes and introduces a pre-clearance requirement for all female competitors.

With the new rule, this means Amusan and other Nigerian female athletes who have qualified for the World Championships in Tokyo will have to undergo this test if they're to participate at the highly anticipated championship.

Amusan who's currently in Nigeria for the Nigerian Championships slated to hold at the Yabatech Sports Complex from August 1 - 3, will be gunning to retain her national title and set her goal in motion ahead of regaining her world title from 2022, when she blazed to the women's 100mH world record in Oregon.