Latest news with #sexTest
BBC News
a day ago
- Health
- BBC News
Imane Khelif: World Boxing says Algerian fighter must undergo sex test to compete in female category at their events
Khelif required to take sex test for World Boxing fights , Imane Khelif won welterweight gold at the Olympic Games in Paris last year Author, Timothy Abraham Role, BBC Sport journalist 30 May 2025 Olympic champion Imane Khelif will not be allowed to fight in the female category at World Boxing competitions until she undergoes a mandatory sex test. Algeria's Khelif, along with Taiwanese fighter Lin Yu-ting, was disqualified from the 2023 World Championships by previous world governing body the International Boxing Association (IBA) for allegedly failing gender eligibility tests. Khelif was cleared to compete in Paris by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which stripped the IBA of its status as the sport's amateur world governing body in June 2023 over concerns over how it was run. The IOC said competitors were eligible for the women's division in Paris if their passports said they were female. On Friday, World Boxing said that "all athletes over the age of 18" who wish to participate in competitions it owns or sanctions will "need to undergo a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) genetic test to determine their sex at birth and their eligibility to compete". Khelif had been set to make a competitive comeback at the Eindhoven Box Cup from 5-10 June. Khelif has always competed in the women's division and there is no suggestion she identifies as anything other than a woman. Some reports took the IBA stating that Khelif has XY chromosomes to speculate she might have differences of sexual development (DSD) like runner Caster Semenya. However, the BBC has not been able to confirm whether this is or is not the case. The IOC made it clear last year this is "not a transgender case". What has World Boxing said? World Boxing was granted provisional recognition as the sport's international governing federation by the IOC in February 2025. "The introduction of mandatory testing will be part of a new policy on 'sex, age and weight' to ensure the safety of all participants and deliver a competitive level playing field for men and women," the World Boxing statement said. "The policy is in the final stages of development and has been crafted by a specially convened working group of the World Boxing medical and anti-doping committee, which has examined data and medical evidence from an extensive range of sources and consulted widely with other sports and experts across the world." The statement added that World Boxing "respects the dignity of all individuals" and its overriding priority was "to ensure safety and competitive fairness to all athletes". "To do this, it is essential that strict categories, determined by sex are maintained and enforced, and means that World Boxing will only operate competitions for athletes categorised as male or female," it said. "This decision reflects concerns over the safety and wellbeing of all boxers, including Imane Khelif, and aims to protect the mental and physical health of all participants." In its statement, World Boxing published a letter it had sent to both Khelif and the Algerian Boxing Federation. In the letter World Boxing said the new eligibility rules were developed "with the express purpose of safeguarding athletes in combat sports" given the "physical risks associated with Olympic-style boxing". It also said in the letter that in "the event the athlete's sex certification is challenged by the athlete's federation or by World Boxing" the athlete shall be "ineligible to compete until the dispute is resolved". The Algerian Boxing Federation joined World Boxing in September. Background - Khelif's controversial gold The gender eligibility tests on Khelif that led to her disqualification from the 2023 World Championships were conducted by the Russian-led IBA. The IBA said Khelif "failed to meet the eligibility criteria for participating in women's competition". The IOC questioned the legitimacy and credibility of the IBA's tests, saying they could not be relied upon. Khelif and Lin both went on to win gold in Paris, with their story becoming the central focus of boxing at the games, attracting scrutiny and criticism from around the world. Boxing has featured at every Olympics since 1904, except 1912, but the IOC has run the sport at the past two Games. The sport was initially not part of the programme for LA 2028 when the schedule was first announced in 2022. But the IOC granted provisional recognition for World Boxing as the sport's global governing body earlier this year before voting for its inclusion. In February 2025, the IBA launched a legal case against the IOC or allowing Khelif to compete citing safety concerns over gender eligibility. Khelif called them "baseless accusations that are false and offensive". What is DSD? DSD is a group of rare conditions, whereby a person's hormones, genes and/or reproductive organs may be a mix of male and female characteristics. Some of those affected prefer the term "intersex", which is an umbrella term used to describe people who are born with biological variations in their sex characteristics that don't fit typical male or female categories. Other sports have rules in place for athletes with DSD, whose elevated testosterone levels can lead to increased muscle mass and strength. World Athletics, for example, only allows athletes with DSD to compete in female track events if they reduce their testosterone levels. How will testing take place? World Boxing provided a detailed explanation about the testing in its statement. "The PCR test is a laboratory technique used to detect specific genetic material, in this case the SRY gene, that reveals the presence of the Y chromosome, which is an indicator of biological sex," it said. "The test can be a be conducted by nasal/mouth swab, saliva or blood. "Athletes that are deemed to be male at birth, as evidenced by the presence of Y chromosome genetic material (the SRY gene) or with a difference of sexual development (DSD) where male androgenization occurs, will be eligible to compete in the male category. "Athletes that are deemed to be female at birth, as evidenced by the presence of XX chromosomes or the absence of Y chromosome genetic material (the SRY gene) or with a DSD where male androgenization does not occur, will be eligible to compete in the female category." Under the new policy, national federations will be responsible for testing and will be required to confirm the sex of their athletes when entering them into World Boxing competitions by providing a certification of their chromosomal sex, as determined by a PCR test. World Boxing said failure to provide that will render the athlete "ineligible to compete" and may lead to sanctions against the athlete or their national federation. The organisation added: "Where test results for boxers that want to compete in the female category reveal Y chromosome genetic material and a potential DSD, the initial screenings will be referred to independent clinical specialists for genetic screening, hormonal profiles, anatomical examination or other valuation of endocrine profiles by medical specialists. "As part of its new policy World Boxing will reserve the right to do genetic sex screening on new or existing athlete samples to confirm certification.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Medical report leaked that ‘proves Imane Khelif is biological male'
Imane Khelif's sex-test results from the 2023 World Championships have been published for the first time, with the medical report appearing to indicate that the boxer is biologically male. Just 36 hours after World Boxing ruled that Khelif, a hugely controversial Olympic champion in women's boxing at last summer's Paris Games, would need to undergo sex screening to be eligible for any future appearances in the female category, the document at the heart of this extraordinary saga was released into the public domain. Alan Abrahamson, the American journalist who disclosed in Paris how the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had been warned more than a year earlier that Khelif had the DNA of a 'male', produced the result of a test carried out on the boxer in New Delhi in March 2023, triggering the boxer's disqualification from the championships that year. The document published on the 3 Wire Sports website summarises the findings on Khelif as 'abnormal', stating: 'Chromosome analysis reveals male karyotype'. A karyotype refers to an individual's complete set of chromosomes, which in Khelif's case has been reported by the International Boxing Association (IBA) as being XY, the male pattern. The test results carry the letterhead of Dr Lal PathLabs in New Delhi, accredited by the American College of Pathologists and certified by the Swiss-based International Organisation for Standardisation. This directly challenges the account of IOC spokesman Mark Adams, who in a tense news conference at the Paris Olympics described the results as 'ad hoc' and 'not legitimate'. Thomas Bach, the IOC president, has gone even further, claiming that the results are the product of a Russian-led misinformation campaign. He pointed out in an interview earlier this year that the IBA, headed by Russia's Umar Kremlev, had been stripped of IOC recognition in a row over ethics and financial management. The official authentication of the Indian laboratory that conducted the tests on Khelif increases the pressure on the IOC to explain why it believes the results are illegitimate. It also makes any potential comeback by Khelif far more complicated. Outwardly the 26-year-old has been defiant, even vowing to win a second successive Olympic gold medal in Los Angeles in 2028. But World Boxing has ruled that Khelif is ineligible to enter future events as a woman without first submitting to the same chromosome testing that has already triggered the boxer's disqualification at global level. The governing body, provisionally approved to run Olympic boxing in LA, has announced that all athletes in its competitions over 18 years old must undergo a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) genetic test to determine their sex. The test detects chromosomal material through a mouth swab, saliva or blood. Khelif, who was allowed to box in Paris because of female passport status, has failed to provide any evidence of having female chromosomes in the nine months since the scandal erupted. World Boxing's tougher stance on the issue comes in response to widespread outrage at the scenes in Paris, where both Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting swept to Olympic titles, despite having been banned by the IBA the previous year on the grounds that they did not have XX chromosomes. Italy's Angela Carini, the first opponent beaten by Khelif, described how she had been punched so hard that she feared for her life. Mexico's Brianda Tamara, who fought Khelif in 2022, said: 'I don't think I had ever felt like that in my 13 years as a boxer, nor in my sparring with men.' Latin American federations ultimately proved highly influential in persuading World Boxing to prioritise the reality of sex, in order to uphold fairness and safety for women. In correspondence seen by Telegraph Sport, the Honduran federation told the Women's Rights Network that 'necessary measures should be taken so that only women by birth can compete in women's competitions'. Their Peruvian counterparts also strongly urged the 'protection of women'. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Health
- Telegraph
Medical report leaked that ‘proves Imane Khelif is biological male'
Imane Khelif's sex-test results from the 2023 World Championships have been published for the first time, with the medical report appearing to indicate that the boxer is biologically male. Just 36 hours after World Boxing ruled that Khelif, a hugely controversial Olympic champion in women's boxing at last summer's Paris Games, would need to undergo sex screening to be eligible for any future appearances in the female category, the document at the heart of this extraordinary saga was released into the public domain. Alan Abrahamson, the American journalist who disclosed in Paris how the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had been warned more than a year earlier that Khelif had the DNA of a 'male', produced the result of a test carried out on the boxer in New Delhi in March 2023, triggering the boxer's disqualification from the championships that year. The document published on the 3 Wire Sports website summarises the findings on Khelif as 'abnormal', stating: 'Chromosome analysis reveals male karyotype'. A karyotype refers to an individual's complete set of chromosomes, which in Khelif's case has been reported by the International Boxing Association (IBA) as being XY, the male pattern. The test results carry the letterhead of Dr Lal PathLabs in New Delhi, accredited by the American College of Pathologists and certified by the Swiss-based International Organisation for Standardisation. This directly challenges the account of IOC spokesman Mark Adams, who in a tense news conference at the Paris Olympics described the results as 'ad hoc' and 'not legitimate'. Thomas Bach, the IOC president, has gone even further, claiming that the results are the product of a Russian-led misinformation campaign. He pointed out in an interview earlier this year that the IBA, headed by Russia's Umar Kremlev, had been stripped of IOC recognition in a row over ethics and financial management. The official authentication of the Indian laboratory that conducted the tests on Khelif increases the pressure on the IOC to explain why it believes the results are illegitimate. It also makes any potential comeback by Khelif far more complicated. Outwardly the 26-year-old has been defiant, even vowing to win a second successive Olympic gold medal in Los Angeles in 2028. But World Boxing has ruled that Khelif is ineligible to enter future events as a woman without first submitting to the same chromosome testing that has already triggered the boxer's disqualification at global level. The governing body, provisionally approved to run Olympic boxing in LA, has announced that all athletes in its competitions over 18 years old must undergo a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) genetic test to determine their sex. The test detects chromosomal material through a mouth swab, saliva or blood. Khelif, who was allowed to box in Paris because of female passport status, has failed to provide any evidence of having female chromosomes in the nine months since the scandal erupted. World Boxing's tougher stance on the issue comes in response to widespread outrage at the scenes in Paris, where both Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting swept to Olympic titles, despite having been banned by the IBA the previous year on the grounds that they did not have XX chromosomes. Italy's Angela Carini, the first opponent beaten by Khelif, described how she had been punched so hard that she feared for her life. Mexico's Brianda Tamara, who fought Khelif in 2022, said: 'I don't think I had ever felt like that in my 13 years as a boxer, nor in my sparring with men.' Latin American federations ultimately proved highly influential in persuading World Boxing to prioritise the reality of sex, in order to uphold fairness and safety for women. In correspondence seen by Telegraph Sport, the Honduran federation told the Women's Rights Network that 'necessary measures should be taken so that only women by birth can compete in women's competitions'. Their Peruvian counterparts also strongly urged the 'protection of women'.
