Algeria’s Imane Khelif, celebrates after defeating Hungary’s Anna Hamori in their women’s 66kg quarterfinal boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/John Locher)
World Boxing announced on Friday it will introduce mandatory gender testing to determine the eligibility of male and female athletes wanting to take part in its competitions.
The international federation said it was introducing the policy after the furor surrounding boxers including women’s welterweight gold medalist Imane Khelif of Algeria at the Paris Olympics last year.
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World Boxing will organize the boxing competition at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after being granted provisional recognition by the International Olympic Committee.
World Boxing said it had informed the Algerian Boxing Federation that Khelif would have to undergo the test if she wanted to compete at the Eindhoven Box Cup in the Netherlands on June 5-10.
“World Boxing has written to the Algerian Boxing Federation to inform it that Imane Khelif will not be allowed to participate in the female category at the Eindhoven Box Cup or any World Boxing event until Imane Khelif undergoes sex testing,” it said in a statement.
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Under the new policy, all athletes over 18 that want to participate in a World Boxing owned or sanctioned competition will need to undergo a PCR, or polymerase chain reaction genetic test, to determine what sex they were at birth and their eligibility to compete.
The PCR test is a laboratory technique used to detect specific genetic material, in this case the SRY gene, that reveals the presence of the Y chromosome, which is an indicator of biological sex.
The test can be conducted by a nasal or mouth swab, or by taking a sample of saliva or blood.
Gold medalist Algeria’s Imane Khelif kisses her medal for the women’s 66 kg final boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/John Locher)
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 producing certification of their chromosomal sex, as determined by a PCR test.
Khelif said in March: “For me, I see myself as a girl, just like any other girl. I was born a girl, raised as a girl, and have lived my entire life as one.”
The 26-year-old is targeting a second gold medal at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles after her triumph in Paris.
Her success, along with that of Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, sparked a raging gender eligibility debate, with high-profile figures such as US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk weighing in.
Khelif and Lin were disqualified from the International Boxing Association’s 2023 world championships after the organisation, the long-standing governing body of amateur boxing, said they had failed gender eligibility tests.
The IOC has severed links with the IBA over financial, governance and ethical concerns. The IBA is led by the Kremlin-linked Russian Umar Kremlev.
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Last month the IOC provisionally recognized World Boxing as the body to oversee the sport at future Games.
