On Thursday, August 13, 2026, the Sport & Rights Alliance called on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) to drop its recently introduced sex-testing policy, labeling it discriminatory. The policy, announced last month, mandates players to undergo a one-time gene test for the SRY gene, which helps determine biological sex and can be conducted via cheek swab or blood test.

Andrea Florence, executive director of the Sport & Rights Alliance, stated, "The WTA can claim it does not intend to cause harm, but good intentions will never erase the stigmatisation and trauma that women and girls will suffer due to sex testing."

The policy follows the International Olympic Committee's March announcement that only biological female athletes verified by a one-time test would be eligible to compete in women's category events at the Games.

Lily Dong Li Rosengard, advocacy senior specialist at ILGA World, an LGBTQ advocacy group, criticized the WTA's approach: "The WTA has hurriedly cobbled together a policy that does not advance the rights of women and girls but instead undermines the safety and dignity of everyone on the tour. Despite the fact that no out trans women are currently competing at the professional level, all women and girl tennis players will now have to 'prove' their gender just so the WTA can ensure they never play at all."

The sex-testing policy became a focal point at the start of the Canadian Open, where top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus expressed support for the measure. Meanwhile, American two-time Grand Slam winner Coco Gauff voiced her support for fairness in women's sports but expressed concern that the policy has fostered animosity toward the transgender community.

Reuters was not immediately able to obtain comment from the WTA.

Sources