Gattacca by 2022? China to select Winter Olympics athletes by their genes

China’s athletic hopefuls for the 2022 Winter Olympics will have to undergo genetic screening for a chance to represent the host nation.

China has unveiled plans to establish a laboratory standard for the “selection of athletes by genetic markers,” according to a document posted by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Athletes with the potential to represent the country in the Games will have to undergo whole genome sequencing, the process that determines a person’s complete, unique DNA profile.

“Complete genome sequencing will be applied on outstanding athletes competing in the winter games for speed, endurance and explosive force, with at least 300 athletes in each group,” said the document, jointly drafted by the ministry, the Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, and other government agencies earlier this year.

The large-scale genetic profiling, screening and analysis work will be carried out by the General Administration of Sport of China, the Ministry of Education and the Chinese Academy of Sciences from now through 2020.

The project’s budget has not been disclosed.

Athletes are usually selected through competitions and trials and there have been no reports of other countries using similar genetic testing for their sportsmen, though some are conducting research on similar topics.