Khelif required to take sex test for World Boxing fights

Imane Khelif, the Olympic champion, won’t be allowed to compete in the female division until she passes a sex test.

Khelif, 26, won the women’s welterweight title last year at the Paris Games despite a gender eligibility dispute.

Due to alleged failing to meet gender eligibility requirements, the International Boxing Association (IBA) and Taiwanese fighter Lin Yu-ting were previously disqualified from the 2023 World Championships.

Khelif was given permission to compete in Paris by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which in June 2023 revoked the IBA’s status as the amateur world governing body due to concerns about how it was run.

If their passports indicated that they were female, competitors were admitted to the women’s division in Paris, according to the IOC.

World Boxing announced on Friday that “all athletes over the age of 18” who want to compete in sports that it owns or is sanctioned must pass a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) genetic test to determine their sex at birth and eligibility to compete.

Khelif was scheduled to compete in the Eindhoven Box Cup between June 5 and June 10th.

Khelif has always been a woman, and there is no evidence she ever identified as anything other than that.

Khelif may have differences in sexual development (DSD) like the runner Caster Semenya, according to reports that the IBA was taken down.

However, the BBC has not been able to confirm whether or not this is true.

In February 2025, the IOC granted World Boxing provisional recognition as the sport’s international governing body.

In order to ensure the safety of all participants and provide a competitive level playing field for both men and women, the introduction of mandatory testing will be included in a new policy on “sex, age, and weight” according to the World Boxing statement.

The World Boxing Medical and Anti-Doping Committee’s special working group has analyzed data and medical evidence from a wide range of sources, consulted extensively with other sports and experts from around the world, and developed the policy.

The statement continued that World Boxing “respects the dignity of all people” and that its top priority was “ensuring safety and competitive fairness to all athletes.”

It is crucial that strict categories, which are based on sex, are maintained and enforced in order for World Boxing to hold competitions only for athletes who are categorised as either male or female, according to the statement.

Imane Khelif and other boxers are among the athletes who are concerned about the safety and well-being of all participants, according to the decision.

World Boxing published a letter it sent to Khelif and the Algerian Boxing Federation in its statement.

Given the “physical risks associated with Olympic-style boxing,” World Boxing claimed in the letter that the new eligibility guidelines were created “with the express intention of safeguarding athletes in combat sports.”

The athlete is “inadmissible to compete until the dispute is resolved,” according to the letter, which states that in the event that the athlete’s federation or World Boxing contests their sex certification.

The Russian-led IBA conducted the gender eligibility tests on Khelif that resulted in her being excluded from the 2023 World Championships.

Khelif “did not fulfill the requirements to take part in women’s competition,” according to the IBA.

The IOC questioned the IBA’s tests’ validity and declared that they couldn’t be relied upon.

Khelif and Lin both won gold in Paris, and their story attracted international attention and criticism as a result.

Boxing has been a part of the Olympics since 1904, with the exception of 1912, but it has been a part of the IOC’s run event.

When the LA 2028 schedule was first announced in 2022, the sport was initially excluded from the schedule.

However, before voting for its inclusion, the IOC earlier this year approved World Boxing’s status as the sport’s global governing body.

The IBA filed a lawsuit against the IOC in February 2025, citing safety concerns and gender eligibility.

A person’s hormones, genes, and/or reproductive organs may have a mix of both male and female characteristics, according to a group of uncommon conditions known as DSD.

Some people who are affected prefer the phrase “intersex,” an umbrella term used to describe people who are born with biologically diverse sex characteristics that don’t fall under the categories of the typical male or female.

Other sports have guidelines for athletes who have DSD, which can increase their muscle mass and strength due to higher testosterone levels.

In its statement, World Boxing went into great detail about the testing.

The PCR test, which uses a specific genetic material, such as the SRY gene, to demonstrate the presence of the Y chromosome, a sign of biological sex, is described as a “laboratory technique” used to identify the presence of biological sex.

“The test can be performed using saliva, blood, or nasal/mouth swab.”

The presence of the SRY gene, a difference in sexual development (DSD), or a male androgenization-related difference of chromosomes will qualify as male athletes.

“Female athletes who are deemed to be female at birth, as demonstrated by the presence of XX chromosomes or the absence of Y chromosome genetic material (the SRY gene) or who have DSD and who have not experienced male androgenization, will be eligible to compete in the female category.”

National federations will be required to provide a certification of their chromosomal sex when entering them into world boxing competitions in accordance with the new policy, which requires national federations to conduct testing and be responsible for ensuring that their athletes are sex when competing in international wrestling competitions.

Failure to provide that, according to World Boxing, will make the athlete “ineligible to compete” and could result in sanctions against the athlete or their national federation.

The organization continued, “In the event that Y chromosome genetic material or potential DSD are revealed in boxers’ test results, independent clinical specialists will be referred to them for genetic screening, hormonal profiles, anatomical examination, or other endocrine profiles,” adding: “Medical specialists will evaluate the initial screenings by independent clinical specialists for genetic screening, hormonal profiles, anatomical examination, or other endocrine profiles.

World Boxing will have the right to conduct genetic sex testing on new or existing athlete samples to confirm certification in accordance with its new policy.