Mandatory Sex Testing to Begin at 2025 World Boxing Championships

Ahead of the 2025 World Boxing Championships in Liverpool, World Boxing, the international governing body for boxing, has announced that female athletes must undergo mandatory sex testing. This new rule is aimed at ensuring that only female boxers compete in the female category to avoid any controversy.

The new law has been in effect since August 20th, 2025, and will be applied in women’s boxing for the first time at the Liverpool tournament as fans prepare to cheer their favourite boxers.

Female athletes would need to go through medical testing to prove their biological sex before entering the ring. This rule has sparked a debate with critics arguing that it would affect the player’s dignity and human rights.

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Why Sex Testing is Being Introduced

World Boxing is making this policy change after months of consultation with doctors, sports health experts, and lawyers. It also comes a year after the controversy involving Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting. Last year at the Paris Olympics, both athletes failed sex tests, competed at the Olympics, and won gold medals.

This sparked backlash and debate from boxing fans and critics, with arguments that they are male-born boxers and shouldn’t be participating in the women's category. Despite being criticized, Khelif repeatedly stated that she was born as a woman and has been competing with women in different boxing categories for the past 10 years. She also pulled out of a boxing tournament in June after the sport’s governing body announced plans to introduce mandatory sex testing.

What The New Rule States

The law states that all female boxers are expected to take a functional medical test or a genetic test by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to prove their sex at birth. The organization clarifies that its new Sex, Age, and Weight Eligibility Policy is meant to protect the competitive integrity of the sport in the women’s category. This is a similar policy also adopted by World Athletics for eligibility in women's events. The test would also help check their fitness levels to ensure they’re fit to compete. At the Liverpool tournament, this law would apply to all ten female categories.

The law also states that the respective national boxing federations will be responsible for carrying out these tests, verifying and submitting the results before the athlete enters a boxing competition. If any athlete fails to comply or compromises their results, the national federation and the athlete could face a penalty.

It further states that athletes who test positive for Y chromosome material or have differences in sex development (DSD) will have their cases referred to a medical panel for further evaluation.

Athletes Reaction

The new law has sparked a debate in the boxing world. Supporters believe that it will bring a new level of fairness and safety to the sport, with the president of World Boxing, Van der Vorst, arguing that in a contact sport like boxing, the federation’s job is to protect all its participants. Other boxers have mentioned that the rule is an invasion of privacy and that it also raises questions about inclusivity for athletes who don’t identify as heterosexual.

While Khelif has already skipped a tournament in the Netherlands after the federation first announced plans for mandatory sex testing, Lin Yu-ting has agreed to undergo the test ahead of the Liverpool tournament.