World Boxing Bans Males from Women’s Division

World Boxing just took a huge step forward in making sure trans-identifying females do not compete in women’s events.

On Friday, World Boxing announced mandatory sex testing for all boxers participating in events under its purview. It was announced that some circumstances of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics - primarily those involving Algerian fighter Imane Khelif and Taiwanese fighter Lin Yu-ting - inspired this change.

In its press release, World Boxing indicated that Khelif will not be able to fight in the female category at the Eindhoven Box Cup, which takes place in the Netherlands from June 5th to June 10th. Originally, Khelif was planning on defending his title from last year, but now that won’t be possible.

"This decision reflects concerns over the safety and well-being of all boxers, including Imane Khelif, and aims to protect 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 potential participation at the Eindhoven Box Cup," World Boxing said.

While the last few kinks are being sorted out and won’t become official until July 1, the restrictions on Khelif still apply.

The organization also sent a lengthy statement to the Algerian Boxing Federation informing them of its decision.

The testing involves undergoing a PCR test, which determines if you have a "Y" chromosome (which all males have). If those results come back positive, then you compete in the male category.

"World Boxing respects the dignity of all individuals and its overriding priority is 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 categorized as male or female," the statement further read.