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Genetic testing is now part of the protocol for national governing bodies to send athletes to global championships. Earlier this year, World Athletics announced the requirement for the Olympic Games and next month’s Tokyo World Athletics Championships.

Athletics Canada, unfortunately, is up against the clock due to the contracted supplier of test kits from the company Dynacare. The company sent inadequate test kits.

According to Reuters, “Female Canadian athletes have been told that gene tests they recently underwent do not comply with World Athletics’ requirements, leaving them scrambling to complete new tests before the September 1 deadline for the world championships.”

Dynacare is distributing new test kits to Canadian athletes. Additionally, new testing centres have been established to accommodate the protocol required by World Athletics.

The new protocol was only announced on July 30, 2025. Regulations were approved by the World Athletics Council’s (WAC) for eligibility conditions to compete in the female category. The recommendation was announced in March.

World Athletics Council

“The new regulations (C3.3A and C3.5A in the World Athletics Library) come into effect on September 1, 2025 and will be applied to the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 that begins on September 13.”

“All athletes wishing to compete in the female category at the World Championships are required to undergo a once-in-a-lifetime test for the SRY gene – a reliable proxy for determining biological sex. This is to be conducted via a cheek swab or blood test, whichever is more convenient.”

An operational inconvenience

While the SRY test may be a good concept to protect the female category in sport, why would World Athletics implement a protocol on July 30? The recommendation was made by the Gender Diverse Athlete Working Group, a sub-committee of WAC in haste.

SRY is an added expense and further complicates the organizational effort to send a team to a global championship.

World Athletics should have given nations more time to procure the kits. And more time to organize athletes, scattered across a country 5,514 kilometres wide on a straight line. Many Canadian athletes are competing and or living in other places around the world.

The Dynacare test kits are also being re-distributed to the French and Americans.

Dynacare is a Canadian health and wellness solutions company, specializing in laboratory testing. They are owned by Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings.