The Women: The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) has announced a major change to its eligibility rules on Monday, introducing mandatory one-time genetic sex testing for all players wishing to compete on the WTA Tour from Tuesday.
Under the updated women's eligibility policy, players must provide a cheek swab, blood, or saliva sample to test for the SRY gene. This gene is part of the Y chromosome and is responsible for developing male traits.
Only players who receive a negative result, indicating the gene is not present, will be eligible to compete. Those who test positive will go through further medical evaluation before a decision is made. Players will only be tested once in their lifetime. They must also sign a declaration acknowledging that they could face disciplinary action if they refuse testing.
