World Boxing Requires All Fighters To Undergo Sex Testing

Male and female fighters who wish to participate in sponsored events will now be required to submit to sex tests, according to a World Boxing announcement on Friday.

“A new policy on “Sex, Age, and Weight” will include required testing in order to protect all players and provide equal opportunities for men and women in competition”, the World Boxing Organization said in a statement.

The federation stated that it took the decision in response to the scandal surrounding Algerian boxer Imane Khelif during the Olympics in Paris last year, among other things.

After falsely accusing Khelif of not being a woman due to her excessively powerful hit, her Italian opponent declined to fight her during a knockout round. After then, Khelif climbed the ladder and took home the gold.

In response to the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) request to host the boxing competition for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, World Boxing has notified the Algerian Boxing Federation that Khelif will need to undergo a sex test before he can participate in the upcoming Eindhoven Box Cup, which will take place in the Netherlands from June 5–10.

“The Algerian Boxing Federation has received a letter from World Boxing informing it that Imane Khelif will not be permitted to compete in the female division at the Eindhoven Box Cup or any other World Boxing event until she has undergone sex testing”,according to a statement released by the global organization.

Before allowing athletes to compete, national boxing federations will need to verify each athlete’s sex through testing and certification to World Boxing.

Khelif is scheduled to compete internationally again in Eindhoven next week and has stated that she is planning to defend her gold medal at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

The boxing champion Imane Khelif stated back in March, “Like any other girl, I consider myself to be a girl. I’ve been a girl my entire life, having been raised as such”.

What Is The Process For Sex Testing

The updated policy mandates that all athletes aged 18 and above must complete a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) genetic test prior to being permitted to compete in events sanctioned by World Boxing.

A nasal or mouth swab, or a sample of blood or saliva, is used for the tests, which look for genetically specific material that confirms a person’s given sex at birth.

“The PCR test is a lab method that helps find certain genetic material, specifically the SRY gene, which shows if the Y chromosome is present, indicating biological sex”, stated World Boxing.

World Boxing stated that Athletes who want to compete in women’s categories will be sent to independent clinical specialists for genetic screening, hormonal profiles, anatomical exams, or other evaluations of their endocrine profiles by medical experts if their initial test results indicate the presence of male chromosomal material.

Additionally, the new policy offers the option of appeal.