WTA introduces mandatory genetic test for players

Until now, it was accepted that individuals could participate if they identified as female and had a low testosterone level prior to competition. In the future, eligibility will be verified through a one-time genetic test for the SRY gene.

Historical comparison: Gender tests through the ages

The SRY gene is located on the Y chromosome and is decisive for the development of male sex organs. Its absence is considered proof of female sex within the meaning of the new policy. In most sports today, the test is performed via a cheek swab, but it can also be carried out using a blood or saliva sample.

The WTA justifies the change by saying it is intended to create a clear participation standard. The association emphasized that it is committed to implementing the policy respectfully and prudently. In a statement, it said: "The WTA is aware that this is a sensitive and complex issue and is committed to treating all players with dignity and implementing the policy in a respectful and prudent manner."

Criticism from the US volleyball team

Comparable tests have already been introduced in recent years in swimming, track and field, boxing, and chess. The debate over gender tests in sport is not new: Around a hundred years ago, particularly fast, strong, and athletic women had to prove that they were not in truth men. At the time, the athletes still had to undress in front of a medical team and undergo an examination that many described as degrading.

The US women's national volleyball team distilled this criticism in an official statement. The procedure was "invasive," opaque with regard to medical data protection, and placed the athletes in an "impossible position." The athletes stated: "Subjecting ourselves to an invasive genetic test or risking losing the ability to compete in the sport and profession to which we have dedicated our lives."

Political context in the US

In the US, the Supreme Court had previously ruled that trans persons may be excluded from school sports. The ultra-conservative think tank Heritage Foundation then called for the requirements for equal treatment of men's and women's collegiate sports programs to be eliminated next. The magazine "LGBTQ Nation" quoted the chairman of an organization as saying that women would rather do yoga than "performance-oriented collegiate sports."

Currently, no transgender women are known to be playing on the WTA Tour. Among WTA players, no intersex woman is known, let alone a trans woman. The new regulation therefore cuts deep into the rights and bodily self-determination of an entire generation of athletes, even though in practice no documented case of a trans woman exists on the tour.

This news item was broadcast on July 21, 2026 on the Deutschlandfunk program and fits into a global trend toward the introduction of mandatory gender tests in competitive sports. Critics see this as a step backward for women's sports and an infringement on the personal rights of the athletes.