World Boxing has announced the introduction of mandatory gender testing for male and female athletes seeking to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
The international federation said the new policy follows ongoing controversy, particularly involving Algeria’s Imane Khelif, the women’s welterweight gold medallist at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Khelif has been asked to undergo testing before participating in the upcoming Eindhoven Box Cup, scheduled for June 5–10 in the Netherlands.
“World Boxing has written to the Algerian Boxing Federation to inform it that Imane Khelif will not be allowed to participate in the female category at the Eindhoven Box Cup or any World Boxing event until she undergoes sex testing,” the federation said in a statement.
Under the new regulations, all athletes aged 18 and above who wish to compete in any World Boxing-owned or sanctioned competition must undergo a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) genetic test.
The test is designed to determine the athlete’s biological gender at birth by detecting the presence of the SRY gene on the Y chromosome.
The test may be conducted via a nasal or oral swab, saliva, or a blood sample. National federations will be responsible for administering the tests and must provide certification confirming the chromosomal sex of their athletes when entering them into competition.
The move comes after World Boxing was provisionally recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and given the responsibility to organise Olympic boxing from 2028, taking over from the suspended International Boxing Association (IBA).
The policy marks a significant and controversial development in the governance of elite amateur boxing, likely to spark debate across sporting, medical, and human rights communities.
