World Boxing’s New Sex Testing Policy
In a significant move for the sport, World Boxing has announced that all women competitor fighters aiming to participate in the upcoming World Championships in Liverpool, set for early September, will need to undergo sex testing. This decision, revealed on Wednesday, mandates that athletes complete either a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test or a comparable genetic screening method to ascertain their sex as assigned at birth. The tests will look for the presence of Y chromosomes, which serves as a biological sex indicator.
Commitment to Inclusivity and Fairness
Boris Van Der Vorst, the president of World Boxing, emphasized the organization’s commitment to inclusivity while balancing the necessity for safety and fairness within the sport. He stated,
“World Boxing respects the dignity of all individuals and aims to ensure inclusivity; however, we also carry a responsibility to ensure safety and equitable competition, which are the cornerstones of this policy.”
Background and Controversy
This announcement follows controversy from earlier this year when Paris Olympics champion Imane Khelif of Algeria opted out of a tournament in the Netherlands, which coincided with World Boxing’s preliminary announcement regarding sex testing. Van Der Vorst drew criticism for specifically naming Khelif in discussions about the new testing policy. The athlete, along with gold medalist Lin Yu-ting from Taiwan, faced intense scrutiny regarding their sex, having competed successfully under significant public pressure.
Khelif has consistently articulated that she is a woman and has participated in women’s amateur boxing for nearly ten years. Historically, chromosome testing was a standard practice in Olympic sports, particularly until the 1990s, when it was phased out due to various complexities and the rise of conditions known as differences in sex development (DSD). Following this, many sports transitioned to hormone testing, presenting challenges regarding the eligibility of female athletes with naturally elevated testosterone levels.
New Guidelines and Responsibilities
Under the new guidelines, athletes with DSD who experience male androgenization will have to compete in the men’s division. Moreover, the organization will provide comprehensive evaluations for any athletes possessing Y chromosome genetic material wishing to participate in the women’s category. This process will include genetic assessments, hormonal profiling, anatomical evaluations, and detailed endocrine examinations by medical experts, alongside an appeals process for affected competitors.
National federations hold the responsibility to execute these tests and manage the resulting data.
Broader Implications for Sports
World Athletics, the overseeing body for track and field events, took a notable step earlier this year, becoming the pioneer Olympic sport to reintroduce chromosome testing by requiring female athletes to undergo testing once in their career. They have set a deadline for submissions ahead of the world championships by September 1.
Looking ahead, World Boxing, which emerged two years ago from the International Boxing Association amid controversies, has been provisionally recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and is set to orchestrate the next Olympic qualification trail for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
As this policy unfolds, it may set a precedent affecting not only boxing but other sports grappling with similar issues of gender identification and fairness in competition.
