Athletes to have cheeks swabbed to determine if they are female in controversial test after Olympics gender row

FEMALE ATHLETES will undergo a cheek swab to confirm their gender before they can compete at international level.

World Athletics – the governing body of track-and-field – has approved the introduction of the method to determine if an athlete is eligible to participate in women’s events.

AP

Athletes will have their cheeks swabbed to confirm their gender[/caption]

Reuters

It comes after Imane Khelif’s controversial boxing gold at the Paris Olympics[/caption]

Sebastian Coe, the president of World Athletics, says the decision has been taken to “doggedly” protect the female category.

This follows the controversy surrounding Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting winning Olympic gold medals last summer in Paris.

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