World Boxing Announces Gender Verification for Olympic Champion Khelif: An Examination for Transgender Participants in the Ring.
The International Boxing Association (AIBA), under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), has implemented a new policy mandating gender tests for all participants in boxing events, effective immediately. This move stems from a desire to ensure the safety and fair competition for both male and female athletes.
The mandatory testing, which applies to athletes aged 18 and above, will determine their birth gender. The tests can be conducted via nasal or oral swab, saliva, or blood. This new policy has significant implications for Olympic champion Imane Khelif, who previously faced a gender-related controversy.
Due to her exclusion from the 2023 World Championships by AIBA (the current governing body, no longer recognized by the IOC), Khelif was allowed to compete in the Paris Olympics. However, her participation in future World Boxing events, including the Eindhoven Box Cup (5-10 June), is now contingent upon her undergoing a genetic gender test in accordance with World Boxing's testing procedures.
This decision by World Boxing comes as a response to the stir caused by the gender debate surrounding Khelif and Lin Yu-ting from Taiwan at the 2024 Paris Games. Both athletes were excluded from the 2023 World Championships following unexplained gender tests which AIBA deemed unfitting for participation and providing them a competitive advantage.
Notably, the IOC has a different stance on this matter. They advocate for allowing athletes to compete based on their self-determined gender identity, opposing targeted testing for determining sex or gender identity. This contrasts with World Boxing's approach, which is focused on ensuring fair competition through mandatory genetic testing.
World Boxing was granted partner status by the IOC's Executive Board in February. The organization is set to assume the responsibility for organizing the boxing tournaments for the 2028 Olympic Games. The outgoing IOC president Thomas Bach has expressed a desire to maintain boxing as part of the Olympic program, but only with a reliable partner.
Sources: ntv.de, dbe/dpa
The new policy implemented by World Boxing, focusing on genetic gender testing, contradicts the stance of the IOC, which allows athletes to compete based on self-determined gender identity. Imane Khelif, an Olympic champion, will have to undergo these tests to compete in future World Boxing events, following the controversy surrounding her and other athletes in boxing.
Despite the controversial nature of genetic testing in sports, particularly in boxing, World Boxing aims to assure fair competition through its testing procedures, with the organization set to organize the boxing tournaments for the 2028 Olympic Games.
