Seb Coe has confirmed that World Athletics will carry out one-off swab tests to determine eligibility for female category as president says he in confident plans can stand up to any legal challenges

Seb Coe has confirmed World Athletics will introduce cheek swabs to determine whether an athlete is biologically female, with the president claiming: “It’s absolutely the way to go.”

The governing body, which has already banned transgender athletes who have gone through male puberty from competing in female events, says the decision has been made to preserve the “integrity of competition” with Coe stressing that he is committed to “do whatever is necessary.”

Athletes will be required to provide a swab just once in their careers. A timescale for its introduction has not been set but insiders hope it will be in place before September’s World Championships in Tokyo. Lord Coe said: “It’s important to do it because it maintains everything that we’ve been talking about. Not just talking about the integrity of female women’s sport but actually guaranteeing it.

“We feel this is a really important way of providing confidence and maintaining that absolute…