The decision was made by the International Ski Federation (Fis) earlier in the week and applies to all sports under the Fis umbrella. The tests will primarily be done with saliva samples, but blood tests may also occur, says the Swedish Ski Association's Secretary General Pernilla Bonde.
Through these, it is determined whether a person has the so-called SRY gene or not.
Following other sports
It's a policy for who should be allowed to compete in women's or men's competitions in all Fis sports. And then it's this basic principle that, as I understand, should be like athletics. So that SRY-negative skiers can compete in the women's class and that SRY-positive can compete in the men's class, says Bonde.
And the information we have received is that it applies immediately, from this season.
Several other sports have already introduced sex tests, with boxing and athletics being two of the most notable examples in recent times.
Pernilla Bonde says that the introduction of sex tests is a good way to go for the ski sports as well, even if the issue is difficult.
"Just accept it"
What's good about these tests is that it becomes quite clear what applies, because there's no gray area. And regardless of what, you'll always be able to compete in the men's class. But it's not easy, it's not. Because this is about people.
Swedish cross-country star Ebba Andersson feels no great concern about potential sex tests. When TT met her at the beginning of the week - Fis had not yet made the decision public - Andersson said this about the matter:
If they decide on such a thing, you just have to accept it. I know what sex I am anyway, said Andersson.
The International Ski Federation (Fis) is the latest sports federation to introduce sex tests for its athletes. The tests are introduced for all sports within Fis: cross-country skiing, ski jumping, Nordic combined, alpine skiing, skicross, freeskiing, freestyle, snowboarding, snowboard cross, alpine snowboarding, parasport (alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding), freeriding, speed skiing, grass skiing, and telemark.
The discussion about whether people who were born in a legal sex and changed to another during their lifetime should be allowed to participate in sports has been going on for a long time. At the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games, weightlifter Laurel Hubbard from New Zealand became the first trans person to participate in the Olympic Games.
Different federations have made different decisions over the years. For example, the International Athletics Federation stopped trans people from participating in women's classes as recently as last year, and before the World Championship in Tokyo recently, all women were required to undergo sex tests before the championship.
The sex tests have at the same time caused some administrative problems. The Norwegian athletes, for example, were forced to leave their samples abroad - since the testing is illegal in Norway. And before the boxing World Championship in September, the entire French women's team was stopped after the results of their tests came in too late.
