World Boxing: Mandatory Gender Testing in the Works

World Boxing has announced plans to introduce mandatory gender testing to determine the eligibility of athletes to take part in its competitions.

The introduction of mandatory testing will form part of a new policy on “Sex, Age and Weight” that is designed to ensure a level playing field for men and women.

Under the proposed framework, athletes over the age of 18 intending to participate in World Boxing-owned or sanctioned competitions will be required to undergo a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test, which can be conducted via a nasal or mouth swab, saliva, or blood sample.

According to the statement, national federations will be responsible for testing and will be required to confirm the sex of their athletes when entering them into World Boxing competitions by providing a certification of their chromosomal sex, as determined by a PCR test.

However, the sporting body attracted criticism after it named Algerian boxer Imane Khelif while stating that she would be required to undergo the test to compete at the Eindhoven Box Cup in the Netherlands, scheduled for June 5–10. It later issued an apology and updated its May 30 statement to remove the reference.

The new policy is currently under review by the medical committee, according to World Boxing’s website.

In another notable development on this complex issue, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is shifting its approach. The IOC had previously left gender regulations to the governing bodies of individual sports, but the new IOC President, Kirsty Coventry, has now stated that members have agreed the IOC should take a leading role in this matter. With this, Coventry announced the setting up of a working group which will focus on protecting the female category.