World Boxing, the new international body that regulates Olympic boxing worldwide, announced that all boxerswill have to undergo mandatory genetic testing to verify their sex before competing. This decision is part of the new ‘Sex, Age and Weight’ policy, which will come into force from July 1, to ensure the safety of all participants and achieve a level playing field for men and women.
Thus, Olympic champion Imane Khelif would not be able to fight in the women’s category in world boxing competitions until she undergoes mandatory sex testing. Khelif was excluded from the 2023 World Championships by the previous world governing body, the International Boxing Association (IBA), for failing gender eligibility tests. The International Olympic Committee, on the other hand, did allow Khelif to compete at the Paris Games where she won gold.
Khelif was going to fight in the Eindhoven Box Cup
Khelif had been scheduled to return to the ring at the Box Cup in Eindhoven from June 5-10, but World Boxing has already announced that she will not be able to do so. “In light of the plans to introduce this policy and the particular circumstances surrounding some boxers competing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, World Boxing has written to the Algerian Boxing Federation to inform them that Imane Khelif will not be allowed to compete in the women’s category at the Eindhoven Boxing Cup or any World Boxing event until Imane Khelif undergoes a sex test,” the governing body said in a statement.
“This decision reflects concerns for the safety and wellbeing of all boxers, including Imane Khelif, and is aimed at protecting the mental and physical health of all participants in light of some of the reactions that have been expressed in relation to the boxer’s possible participation in the Eindhoven Box Cup,” World Boxing continued.
World Boxing’s new policy will require all athletes over the age of 18 who wish to compete in a tournament under the umbrella of this association to undergo a genetic PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test to determine their birth sex and eligibility to compete.National Federations will be responsible for carrying out these tests and will be obliged to confirm the sex of their boxers when they register them in competitions
World Boxing states that whenthe test results of boxers wishing to compete in the female category“reveal Y chromosome genetic material and a possible difference in sexual development, initial assessments will be referred to independent clinical specialists for genetic evaluation, hormonal profiling, anatomical examination or other assessment of endocrine profiles by medical specialists”.
World Boxing was founded in April 2023 with the mission of ensuring that boxing remains a central part of the Olympic movement. In May 2024, it held its first formal meeting with the IOC and, on February 25, 2025, received provisional recognition from the IOC as the International Federation within the Olympic Movement governing boxing worldwide. On March 20, 2025, the IOC confirmed the reinstatement of boxing to the sports program for Los Angeles 2028.
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