The Controversy at the boxing venue during the Paris Olympics

By Robbert Wijtman

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PARIS, July, 2025 - Why were two 2024 Olympic Gold Medalists  recently stripped of their medals and banned from competition? 

 

 Imane Khelif (Algeria), 66Kg boxing and Lin Yu-Ting (Chinese Taipei), 57Kg boxing, and flag barer for her country, were both determined to be ineligible to compete, retroactively, and were stripped of their medals. 

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The two female boxers were determined to be gender ineligible and accusations against the International Boxing Association (IBA) to properly test were levied by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

 

The boxers were initially disqualified from the 2023 World Boxing Championships, by the IBA, after failing unspecified gender eligibility tests. The speculative social media backlash, which followed IBA's decision, led to false accusations of the athletes being male or transgender. The IOC questioned the IBA's decision, and allowed the boxers to compete.

 

The IBA maintained its stance, and filed a complaint against the IOC. In response, the IOC dropped the IBA as the sole representative of Olympic boxing and has replaced the IBA with World Boxing (WB) as the international governing body for the sport.

 

World Boxing introduced a new policy effective July 1, 2025. It mandates a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test for all athletes over 18 participating in their competitions. This test is the sole determinate of the athlete's sex at birth and eligibility to compete in either the male or female category.

A simple mouth swab test, it focuses on detecting the presence of the SRY gene. The gene encodes for a transcription factor. This factor influences the expression of other genes involved in sex differentiation. Located on the Y chromosome, the SRY gene is crucial for male sex determination in mammals. It initiates the development of testes in a fetus. In the absence of the  SRY gene, individuals typically develop female characteristics. 

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As the testing is currently, the presence or absence of a single allele is the sole determinator of Sex At Birth (SAB). 

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World Boxing announced  Khelif has undergone the mandatory PCR test. The test showed the presence of the SRY allele. The finding has determined her to be ineligible to compete in the women’s category, retroactively. According to the federation, at world championships organized by (IBA) in 2022 and 2023, tests performed on Khelif and boxer, Yu Ting Lin of Chinese Taipei, revealed XY markers and testosterone levels typical of males. Despite these results, the IOC allowed both to compete in Paris, arguing that eligibility should be based on the gender identity stated on the passport.

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It was revealed that Khelif has a condition known as type 2, 5-alpha reductase deficiency. The condition includes XY chromosomes, internal testicles, and testosterone levels significantly higher than those of the average woman. This condition, although rare, can confer significant physical advantages in high-performance sports, especially in contact disciplines such as boxing.

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The IOC stated that the IBA’s tests are “not legitimate”

 

The IOC stated that the IBA’s tests are “not legitimate” and questioned both the method and the process. 

In its defense, the IBA said its tests were legitimate and it's decision was a response to changing conditions during the championships. They further stated that the tests prove that the decision of the IBA Secretary General (Chris Roberts) at the time wasn’t arbitrary, as the IOC has alleged. 

 

The lawsuit between the IOC and the IBA is ongoing, with the IBA appealing the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) decision to the Swiss Federal Tribunal. The initial CAS ruling upheld the IOC's decision to remove the IBA from the Olympic family due to concerns about its governance, finances, and ethics. The IBA has indicated it will pursue legal action on this issue. The IBA is also challenging the IOC's decision regarding the inclusion of Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting, in the Paris Olympics.​​

 

In response to this controversy, the World Boxing Federation, (WBF), the professional boxing federation, has implemented a PCR test program that uses the SRY marker as an indicator of the presence of a Y chromosome.

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USA Boxing has a more detailed policy regarding transgender athletes. Their guidelines require transgender women, over 18. to undergo genital reassignment surgery and submit to hormone testing to compete in the female category, and transgender men over 18 to meet similar requirements to compete in the male category. This policy has faced criticism. IBF/World Boxing gender testing focuses on the PCR test for sex at birth, not broader transgender inclusion protocols like those of USA Boxing.

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The debate on identity and biology in sports is far from finished. The IOC’s framework on inclusion and non-discrimination, published in 2021, states that athletes must compete in the category that best aligns with their gender identity. It allows for the evaluation of physical performance, although it prohibits tests aimed at determining sex. This approach prioritizes identity over biology. It has created tensions and differing opinions in sports where physical differences can be decisive.  The ethical and moral issue of setting an example for society plays a decisive roll in all IOC decisions, as well. It is core to IOC values. Clearly, it is a highly complex issue.

World Boxing, at this point, will be overseeing the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Khelif’s exclusion and the new PCR test set a precedent that could redefine inclusion and equity policies in international sports.

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 Newly elected IOC president, Kirsty Coventry, has some hard decisions to make. Ones that will honor the IOC core principles, yet still will be fair to all. ​With the LA Games quickly approaching, a program needs to be implemented before the 2027 world championships in all the sports that are impacted. 

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(End of part 1)