World Boxing will require sex testing for fighters before world championships in September

NEW DELHI: The governing body for Olympic-style boxing will require sex testing for all fighters wishing to compete in the women’s division at its world championships next month.

World Boxing had already announced its plan to require competitors to undergo a polymerase chain reaction test or an equivalent genetic screening test to determine their sex at birth. The rules will be implemented ahead of the World Boxing Championships in Liverpool, England, in early September, the organisation announced on Wednesday.

The tests identify the presence or absence of Y chromosome genetic material as an indicator of biological sex.

“World Boxing respects the dignity of all individuals and is keen to ensure it is as inclusive as possible,” World Boxing president Boris Van Der Vorst said.

“Yet in a combat sport like boxing, we have a duty of care to deliver safety and competitiveness fairness, which are the key principles that have guided the development and creation of this policy,” he added.

Paris Olympic champion Imane Khelif of Algeria declined to enter a World Boxing tournament in the Netherlands in June, shortly after the governing body initially announced its plans to introduce sex testing. Van Der Vorst later apologised for specifically naming Khelif, who initially planned to fight in the tournament, while outlining World Boxing’s future testing plans.

Khelif and fellow gold medalist Lin Yu-ting from Taiwan excelled in Paris under the harsh spotlight of widespread scrutiny and misconceptions about their sex. The 26-year-old Khelif repeatedly has said she was born a woman, and she has competed at all levels of women’s amateur boxing for nearly a decade.

Chromosome testing was common in Olympic sports during the 20th century but was largely abandoned in the 1990s because of numerous ambiguities that couldn’t be easily resolved by the tests, collectively known as differences in sex development. Many sports switched to hormone testing to determine sex eligibility, but those tests require governing bodies to make difficult decisions on the eligibility of women with naturally high testosterone levels.

World Boxing said athletes with DSD in which male androgenization occurs will be eligible to compete only in the men’s category.

But the governing body also said it would offer extensive additional analysis and evaluation for athletes with Y chromosome genetic material who wish to compete in the women’s categories, including genetic screening, hormonal profiles, anatomical examination and further evaluation of endocrine profiles by medical specialists. An appeals process is also available. Agencies

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