Cross-country skiing: FIS backtracks on announced sex testing policy

The International Ski Federation (FIS) recently appeared to announce the introduction of sex tests across all its disciplines. However, the federation has now stepped back from that position.

According to FIS Council member Karin Mattsson, the earlier communication gave the impression that a finalized policy would take effect immediately. She told Dagens Nyheter that this was incorrect: the Council agreed only on a general direction, not on a completed policy. “It’s unfortunate how it was communicated, because we have not made a decision on the finished policy,” she said, adding that the topic was discussed at length at the most recent Council meeting.

Mattsson noted that the next FIS Council meeting is scheduled for 21 October. After that, no further meetings are planned until the spring, which leaves the matter unresolved in the near term. “This is a big issue that affects many people,” she said, apologizing for the uncertainty.

The Swedish Ski Association’s secretary general, Pernilla Bonde, had earlier told TT that the policy was intended to govern eligibility for women’s and men’s events in all FIS sports and would take effect immediately this season. FIS’s clarification indicates that implementation is not yet decided.

The article places FIS’s discussion within the broader debate about sex testing and eligibility in international sport. It recalls that other federations have recently tightened rules, such as World Athletics barring transgender women from women’s categories and requiring sex testing ahead of major events. It also highlights administrative and legal complications, including Norwegian athletes needing to test abroad due to national law and France’s women’s boxing team being sidelined at a world championship when test results arrived late.

This issue spans all FIS disciplines, including cross-country skiing, ski jumping, Nordic combined, alpine skiing, freestyle, snowboard, para-skiing, and others, but no final, enforceable FIS-wide testing policy is currently in place.