dsd in sport
Global Coverage on SRY Gene Testing Controversy.
This area is to signpost interested parties to articles and broadcasts involving DSD experts. The reports featured below explore the scientific, ethical, and practical implications of requiring female athletes to undergo genetic testing to verify eligibility for women's competition and signpost to the perspectives of DSD experts.
Please note that dsdfamilies advocates for girls and women living with 46 XY, DSD who have always lived as girls and women, and whose legal sex - as per the UK Supreme Court ruling of April 2025 biological sex - has always been female. We welcome respectful debate and are keen to facilitate it.
World Athletics’ mandatory genetic test for women athletes is misguided. I should know – I discovered the relevant gene in 1990 - Murdoch Children's Research Institute /The Conversation (Australia) Aug 25
Author: Professor Andrew Sinclair
About: DSD expert Andrew Sinclair who discovered the SRY gene, argues that World Athletics' testing policy is scientifically flawed and ethically troubling. He explains that sexual development involves many genes and hormones, and warns that the rule could misclassify athletes or create inequity.
Man or Woman? Why a Genetic Test in Sports Causes Controversy - Süddeutsche Zeitung (Germany) Sep 2025
Author: Priska Wörl - article in German
About: Examines World Athletics' new rule requiring female athletes to prove they are 'biologically female' via SRY testing at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo. The piece highlights the scientific, ethical, and social implications of this policy, featuring historical cases such as María José Martínez Patiño, Foekje Dillema, and Caster Semenya.
PSI-I Podcast Episode 3: On what basis is elite sports fair? - Psychosocial Studies Intersex International, Sep 2025
Speakers: Peter Hegarty, Alun Williams, and Benjamin Moron-Puech
About: Discusses World Athletics’ new SRY gene testing rule and its impact on women with variations in sex characteristics. The speakers question the lack of scientific basis, highlight privacy and ethical concerns, and warn that the policy could harm the well-being of athletes and of women and children living with 46 XY,DSD, and oversimplifies the complex realities of human sex development.
How useful are SRY gene tests for female athletes? Quarks (Germany) Sep 2025
Author: Sigrid März - article in German
About: Explores the scientific and ethical controversy around World Athletics’ SRY gene test for female athletes. Biological sex is determined by a complex interplay of genetics, hormones, and development -not by a single gene. The article critiques the policy as overly simplistic and potentially discriminatory toward intersex athletes. With interviewee Nadine Hornig, Head of the sex development group at the Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, and Collaborative Research Centre Sexdiversity.
World Athletics introduces mandatory DNA sex testing to maintain 'integrity' - ABC Radio National (Australia) March 2025
About: Featuring endocrinologist Professor Ada Cheung, discussing World Athletics’ mandatory DNA sex testing policy. The discussion explores the science, fairness, and ethics behind the new rule, emphasizing that DNA alone cannot determine sex or athletic eligibility.
Karkazis flags gender testing dangers - Inside the games (UK / International Sports Media)- Aug 2025
About: Anthropologist and bioethicist Katrina Karkazis warns that no single gene - including SRY-; can define biological sex. She highlights risks of misclassification, privacy violations, and stigma for intersex and DSD athletes, calling for inclusive, evidence-based policy reform. The article is based on an interview in the Frankfurter Allgemeine.
Women's hour - Double jeopardy fight, Fertility rates, SRY tests, Wool sourcing - BBC Radio 4 (UK) Aug 2025
About: Interview with BBC’s Dan Roan (see below article). Covers the debate surrounding World Athletics’ SRY gene test for female athletes. Includes insights from scientists, ethicists, and athletes discussing the test’s scientific validity, ethical concerns, and its impact on intersex and DSD athletes. Also considers historical gender verification practices and alternative fairness measures.
Gene tests in women's athletics - new rule explained BBC sport (UK) Sep 2025
About: BBC Sports Editor Dan Roan has publicly commented on the rollout of gene sex testing for female athletes. His posts report that World Athletics is “within touching distance” of introducing these tests, prompting wide debate on fairness, ethics, and implementation. Roan’s coverage is neutral and informative, highlighting the controversy without taking a personal stance.
Canadian athletes adrift after genetic test kits come up faulty; why did World Athletics require the test 45 days before Worlds? - Athletics Illustrated Magazine, Aug 2025
About: Critiques the logistical failures and confusion caused by faulty genetic test kits in Canada. Questions the timing and implementation of World Athletics’ policy, arguing it adds unnecessary stress and uncertainty for female athletes.
