All Sri Lankan athletes competing in elite events sanctioned by World Athletics (WA) will need to undergo compulsory one-time genetic tests to verify their biological sex, with effect from 1 September this year.
According to the The Daily Morning Sports, it was confirmed by Dr. Dhammika Senanayake of the Institute of Sports Medicine, attached to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
This situation had risen after WA President Sebastian Coe recently announced a new rule for women athletes, requiring mandatory genetic tests to verify their biological sex, for all global events conducted under its watch.
This test will be applicable to all global track and field events starting from September’s (13-21) World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan.
Dr. Senanayake stated that the official stance conveyed to the Institute of Sports Medicine by WA on the issue, has been informed to Sri Lanka Athletics (SLA) which is currently under a Competent Authority (CA).
The Sports Minister on Monday (25) temporarily suspended the registration of four sports bodies including the SLA, while bringing them under the secretary of the said ministry.
According to Dr. Senanayake two female elite athletes from Sri Lanka, 400 m runner Nadeesha Ramanayake and javelin thrower Dilhani Lekamge, are likely to undergo the mandated test by the global body.
Of the two athletes one of them is likely to gain entry to the Tokyo event via the ‘wildcard’ system, after both failed to obtain direct qualification, with only male javelin throwers Rumesh Tharanga and Sumedha Ranasinghe having done so for Sri Lanka.
Dr. Senanayake added that a SRY gene test will be conducted on female athletes to determine their biological sex, and stressed that if the SRY gene is detected indicating a positive result, such athletes will be deemed ineligible for the female category at elite level.
This new rule, championed by Coe – the ex-British and Olympic gold medal-winning middle-distance runner, is intended to ensure fairness in global competitions and protect the integrity of the female category.
This is via asserting that biology, not gender identity alone, determines eligibility for elite female sports.
World Athletics has said all athletes competing as women must have an SRY gene test to identify whether a male Y chromosome is present.
As the SRY gene is found on the Y chromosome, it is effectively a proxy for the Y chromosome.
Any athlete whose test shows the presence of the SRY gene, will be banned from competing in the women’s category in elite events according to the sport’s world governing body.
However, if the athlete has a condition called Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (CAIS), they may be able to qualify for an exemption.
Meanwhile, WA has recommended all women athletes take a cheek swab or blood sample to test for the presence of SRY.
But, critics and analysts have cast doubt on the process to be implemented from early next month with samples to be sent to a lab that could extract DNA and look for the presence of the SRY gene.
They insist this could be convenient for wealthy nations, but are sceptical of its success in poorer countries sans such facilities.
A few medical experts have maintained that these tests are sensitive and if a male lab technician were to conduct the test, he can inadvertently contaminate it with a single skin cell and produce a false positive SRY result.
Hence they have argued that no effective guidance has been given on how to conduct the test to reduce the risk of false results.
Furthermore, they have claimed that nor does WA recognise the impacts a positive test result would have on a person, which can be more profound than exclusion from sport alone.
There was no mention from WA that appropriate genetic counselling should be provided, which is considered necessary prior to genetic testing and challenging to access in many lower- and middle-income countries, analysts have further pointed out.
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