When Ugandan middle-distance runner Docus Ajok lined up for a routine testosterone test in 2019, she had no reason to believe it would end her career. A national athlete since 2014, Ajok had proudly represented Uganda at the Commonwealth Games and the World University Championships. But soon after her test, she was informed she could no longer compete in the 800m and 1500m events — a ruling that shattered her Olympic dreams and her livelihood.
Ajok’s story mirrors that of Kenya’s Maximila Imali, once a rising sprint star. In 2014, Imali was told by Athletics Kenya that her testosterone levels were “too high” to compete in certain women’s events under new regulations by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), now known as World Athletics (WA). “My career ended just like that,” she recalled. “Nobody is fighting for me. Athletics was everything I had.”
New Rules, Old Questions
Beginning September 2025, World Athletics now requires all elite female athletes to undergo a once-in-a-lifetime genetic test to check for the SRY gene — a marker linked to the Y chromosome. The results determine whether an athlete can compete in the women’s category.
WA insists the policy ensures fairness in competition. But critics say it revives a painful history of sex verification tests that have long targeted women from the Global South — especially those with Differences in Sex Development (DSD), a naturally occurring variation in sex traits.
“These tests are not voluntary — they’re a condition for survival in sport,” said Payoshni Mitra, Executive Director of Humans of Sport. “Athletes are being outed, stigmatized, and left without medical or emotional support.”
Science and Scrutiny
According to sports genomics expert Professor Alun Williams, the SRY gene test oversimplifies human biology. “Sex development isn’t binary,” he explained. “Some people may have a Y chromosome but develop as females. These are natural variations — not advantages.”
Medical scientists argue that testosterone levels alone cannot define performance or gender. Meanwhile, human rights advocates warn that the policy risks exposing athletes’ private medical information, leading to public humiliation and exclusion.
A History Repeating Itself
Sex testing in sport dates back to the 1960s, when female athletes were forced to undergo invasive physical checks or chromosomal testing. The infamous “nude parades” and Barr body tests were eventually abandoned for being unethical and scientifically flawed.
Yet today’s rules — now backed by genetic screening — are seen by many as a high-tech revival of old injustices. World Athletics President Sebastian Coe maintains that the latest SRY-based test is “non-invasive,” but critics argue it remains deeply intrusive in its implications.
Lives in Limbo
For Ajok and Imali, the issue is more than policy — it’s personal. Both refuse to take medication or undergo surgery to alter their natural hormone levels. “I was born a woman,” Imali said. “No test can change that.”
As these athletes struggle for recognition and dignity, the global sports community faces a pressing question: Can fairness ever come at the cost of humanity?
Discussion about this post