Global Sports Organization, World Boxing, to Conduct Gender Verification for Olympic Boxing Medalist Khelif
The International Boxing Association (IBA), widely recognized as World Boxing, has enacted new mandatory gender testing regulations. This policy requires athletes aged 18 and above participating in IBA-sanctioned competitions to undergo PCR tests to determine their genetic sex. These tests detect the SRY gene on the Y chromosome, highlighting biological sex at birth.
Beginning July 1, 2025, the mandate applies to all IBA events, including the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Athletes who decline testing or fail to provide results will be barred from participating in World Boxing tournaments.
Algerian Olympic women's welterweight gold medalist Imane Khelif has been directly affected. World Boxing has informed the Algerian Boxing Federation that Khelif will be ineligible to compete in the female category at the June 2025 Eindhoven Box Cup and future World Boxing events unless she undergoes the genetic verification test.
These stringent measures underscore the organization's focus on ensuring accurate classification of athletes based on genetic sex in boxing competitions.
The new IBA policy follows controversy surrounding gender testing at the Paris Olympics in 2024. Athletes Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting from Taiwan were initially excluded from the 2023 World Championships by the then-recognized IBA after unexpected tests. However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) deemed the exclusion a "random decision without proper procedure" and permitted Khelif and Lin to compete in Paris. The IOC specifies that the gender listed in a competitor's passport determines their sporting category in many sports, the organization explained. Both athletes won gold.
World Boxing, now partnered with the IOC, is establishing more precise rules to protect athletes in combat sports. According to the federation, these new participation rules aim to shield athletes from the physical risks associated with Olympic boxing.
The IOC assumed organization of boxing tournaments for the 2024 Paris and 2020 Tokyo Games following the IBA's suspension. By 2028, World Boxing will manage the competitions once more. Outgoing IOC president Thomas Bach emphasized in Paris the organization's desire to maintain boxing in the Olympic program but only with a reliable partner.
[1] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Boxing_Association[2] ntv.de/Leichtathletik, dbe/dpa[3] bbc.com/sports/boxing[4] eurosport.com/boxing
[Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Boxing_Association, ntv.de/Leichtathletik, dbe/dpa, bbc.com/sports/boxing, eurosport.com/boxing]
The International Boxing Association (IBA), also known as World Boxing, has expanded its sports regulations to include mandatory gender testing for all athletes participating in IBA-sanctioned competitions, including those competing in sports like boxing. Beginning in 2025, these tests will apply to all IBA events, such as the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and athletes who decline testing or fail to provide results will be barred from participating in World Boxing tournaments, which include boxing events.
