British Female Athletes Face £185 Fee for 'Sex Tests' to Compete

TEAM GB’S biggest female athletes are stunned after being told they have to foot the bill for sex tests.

Track and field stars wanting to compete internationally have been advised by UK Athletics to pay for the non-invasive check themselves.

Changes to World Athletics guidelines mean all athletes need to undergo a SRY gene test before getting involved in the female category at major championships and Diamond League events.

The move was made to guarantee fair competition by excluding transgender women and differences of sex development competitors.

But The Times report that British athletes are fuming after being urged by UK Athletics to pay for the £185 sex tests themselves.

Some have complained that it is unfair when the test is not required for their male counterparts.

UK Athletics have brutally warned their medal hopefuls to complete the process “as soon as possible to avoid delays around selection”.

The females have to undergo the non-invasive test that can be completed with a cheek swab, which indicated the presence of a Y chromosome, before competing on the international stage.

Although UK have a hardship fund on offer for anyone struggling to meet the cost, claims will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

World Athletics provided national federations with financial support of $100 per test before the World Championships in Tokyo last September.

And additional funding will be provided for the upcoming World Junior Championships.

But UK Athletics have been seeking ways to save cash after their financial challenges were made worse by UK Sport slashing its funding for the current cycle.

Athletics chiefs have seen the funding cut from £22.18million to £20.45m despite clinching ten medals at the 2024 Games in Paris.

, Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Georgia Hunter Bell were among the Team GB stars to get themselves on the podium.

A joint venture with London Marathon Events and the Great Run Company allowed UK Athletics to post a profit of £107,588 for the financial year ending March 31, 2025.

But it was the first time they were not in the red since 2017 and saw them reverse a £3.7m loss in 2023.

UK Athletics are also facing a seven-figure fine after as he prepared for the World Para Athletics Championships in London.

Eze Chidiebere Paul

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