Cathal Dennehy: If women's sport isn't based on biology it becomes an unwinnable race

While there are countless approaches taken to govern access to the female category, the one-time cheek swab which World Athletics adopted this week seems the most sensible.

NEW REGULATIONS: World Athletics President Sebastian Coe during the Wanda Diamond League Series London Athletics Meet at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London. Picture date: Saturday July 19, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Adam Davy/PA Wire

In the end, it comes down to a simple question: What is a woman?

Across the world, and probably within your social circle, there are various answers to that. Many see it as a straightforward, biological term, that being a woman is the preserve of those with XX chromosomes and female reproductive organs. For others, it’s broader, the definition based more on identity – not so much the physical composition of a body, but what someone feels and believes in their mind.