Navratilova hits back at critics of tennis's gender-verification tests: "There's nothing transphobic about a cheek swab"

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has delivered a sharp response to critics of the new sex-verification test that WTA Tour players have been required to undergo since Monday.

As in athletics, cross-country skiing and boxing, the test is designed to check whether female athletes carry the so-called SRY gene, which determines male sex. If the result comes back positive, the woman must undergo further medical examinations before being cleared to compete.

From 2024 until this past Monday, a different rule applied: players were allowed to compete as long as their testosterone levels over the previous two years hadn't exceeded a certain threshold.

Once the new rule took effect, a wave of criticism erupted on social media — largely from male commentators — with some calling the testing invasive, and others going as far as to allege discrimination.

Navratilova, an 18-time Grand Slam champion, couldn't let that stand and pushed back forcefully with the opposite view. "The WTA supports all its players. As women. There is no invasive, transphobic test — it's just a cheek swab that takes three seconds. Get it? Men can play in men's tournaments, however they identify. It's that simple," she said.

"This isn't about collecting data. There's nothing transphobic about a cheek swab. And if you think that's invasive, try peeing in a cup while someone watches," she added, referring to standard doping-control procedure.

She closed the debate firmly after a man asked whether she herself had ever taken such a test. "Yes, I did. So did every other athlete, until it was scrapped — I think that was around the 2000 Olympics. Now we're bringing it back, not just at the WTA level but for the Olympics too. I hope the practice spreads further. There's no reason male bodies should be competing in women's sport," Navratilova emphasized.

The International Olympic Committee confirmed back in March that a negative result on the test will be mandatory for participation in women's events at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Source: sport.cz