HGSA Position Statement on SRY gene testing in athletes

On 27 March 2026 IOC has announced that all female athletes will be required to have mandatory SRY gene testing to compete in the 2028 Olympics.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-27/ioc-bans-transgender-participation-in-women-s-events/106500478

The HGSA does not support the use of mandatory genetic testing in any setting, nor the use of genetic testing for non-clinical or discriminatory purposes. We are concerned about the IOC policy, the associated precedence of using genetic testing for mandatory, non-medical purposes, and the appropriateness of the proposed testing procedure.

Core principles of genetic testing include voluntary consent, provided free of coercion, with access to appropriate support services, and performed for the health benefit of the individual. Genetic testing performed outside of these guardrails has increased potential for harm, and risks undermining public trust for genetic tests, which if used appropriately, have enormous and proven benefit to the health and wellbeing of those who need them.

We do however appreciate that athletes who will be affected by this policy have trained hard for many years to achieve their goals, and will have no choice but to take the test to continue to compete. Where testing is performed, it has to be under a harm minimisation approach that ensures athletes have access to appropriate information and support services to make informed decisions about the potential implications of testing.

The HGSA Position statement can be found here.

https://theconversation.com/world-athletics-mandatory-genetic-test-for-women-athletes-is-misguided-i-should-know-i-discovered-the-relevant-gene-in-1990-262367