World Boxing, the international governing body for the sport, announced on Wednesday a new policy that mandates sex testing for athletes competing in the women’s category at its events. This policy will take effect starting with the 2025 World Boxing Championships, which will be held in Liverpool from September 4 to 14.
The move aims to ensure safety and competitive fairness following controversy over two boxers, Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting, who won women’s Olympic gold medals in Paris in 2024 despite previously failing gender eligibility tests. Neither athlete identifies as transgender, Newsweek reported.
The policy mandates a one-time PCR or equivalent genetic screening test to confirm an athlete’s biological sex at birth, with national federations responsible for providing chromosomal sex certification.
Athletes with XX chromosomes or no Y chromosome genetic material (SRY gene) are eligible for the women’s category, while those with Y chromosome material or male androgenization due to a difference of sexual development (DSD) will compete in the men’s category.
Failure to provide certification or submitting false certification may result in the athlete’s ineligibility and sanctions against the athlete or their national federation.
World Boxing President Boris van der Vorst emphasized the policy’s intent to balance inclusion with safety.
“World Boxing respects the dignity of all individuals and is keen to ensure it is as inclusive as possible, 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 said.
“It has been a long and detailed process, but it was vital that we examined all of the medical, legal and sporting issues raised by this issue and I am confident that in introducing testing to certify the eligibility of an athlete to compete as a male or female, the new policy on ‘Sex Age and Weight’ will deliver sporting integrity and protect the safety of all participants.”
The policy, developed over nearly a year by World Boxing’s Medical and Anti-Doping Committee Working Group, prioritizes the women’s category due to pronounced safety and fairness concerns.
“We recognize that the issues relating to eligibility in boxing are more pronounced in the women’s events, which is why we have made the decision to implement the policy in the female category first,” van der Vorst said.
Testing for the men’s category will begin on January 1, 2026.
The policy was communicated to member national federations earlier, with a May letter to the Algerian Boxing Federation stating that Khelif would need to pass a sex test to compete in the June Eindhoven Box Cup, which she did not attend. Khelif has repeatedly stated that she is not transgender, CNN reported.
“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,” Khelif said in an interview.
Athletes with adverse test results, such as Y chromosome material in the women’s category, will have their cases reviewed by World Boxing’s expert medical panel, with an appeals process available.
The decision follows global debate sparked by Khelif and Yu-ting’s Olympic victories. President Donald Trump, addressing potential genetic testing for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, said on August 5 that there will be a “very, very strong form of testing.”
World Boxing was launched in April 2023 to secure boxing’s Olympic status and received provisional recognition from the International Olympic Committee in February 2025.