The Women's Tennis Association moved this week to require genetic testing of all players as a condition of competition, with the policy tied directly to participation requirements for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics — a Games with close ties to Colorado Springs, home of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
The WTA made one-off mandatory gene testing for all players effective this week, framing it as a requirement to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The WTA updated its women's eligibility policy to include gender screening "based on biological sex" in order "to preserve the integrity of women's professional tennis and maintain fair competition conditions for all players," and the new policy brings the organization in line with an eligibility framework introduced by the International Olympic Committee in March, itself designed to align with U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order on sports ahead of the 2028 Games.
Under the policy, players are to be tested for the SRY gene, a segment of DNA typically found on the Y chromosome that initiates male sex development in utero and indicates the presence of testes. The WTA's policy defines "biological male" as an individual who, regardless of legal sex or gender identity, has an SRY gene and therefore has or previously had testes or streak testes, and "biological female" as an individual who has no SRY gene and therefore has or previously had ovaries or streak ovaries.
The WTA said the policy distinguishes between biological sex and gender identity, stating there is "no intent to disrespect or question the gender identity or the dignity of any person." The WTA is complying with what is effectively an order from the IOC that Olympic sports bodies are following, though it remained unclear how many, if any, transgender women are competing at Games level.
The mandatory gender screening — already conducted by the governing bodies of track and field, skiing, and boxing — has been criticized by human rights experts and activist groups.
How the policy will be administered in practice, and whether any players will be affected by or formally challenge the new requirement, has not yet been reported.