World Boxing, the organization aspiring to manage the sport at the upcoming Summer Olympics, has committed to prioritizing boxer safety above all else, stating it will announce guidelines on transgender and difference of sexual development (DSD) athletes “in the coming weeks.”

Established in April 2023, the group recently attained provisional recognition as an international sports federation from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), marking a significant step toward securing boxing’s place at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. This development comes as the IOC has run the boxing events at the last two editions of the Olympics due to a governance dispute with the International Boxing Association (IBA), which was previously the only global governing body for amateur boxing, and had its recognition withdrawn by the IOC in June 2023.

However, the Paris Olympics witnessed a controversy surrounding the participation of two female boxers, Imane Khelif from Algeria and Lin Yu-ting from Taiwan, following failed gender tests at IBA’s world championships in 2022 and 2023. Despite this, both athletes claimed gold, sparking concerns about fairness and safety. World Boxing, when asked about its gender policy in light of this, emphasized the importance of athlete safety and acknowledged the complexity of gender-related issues.

The IOC defended the boxers’ participation, dismissing the IBA’s tests as “illegitimate” and referring to its own rules, which based eligibility on the sex listed on athletes’ passports. Both were identified as females at birth.

While World Boxing’s 50-page competition rules currently do not address “transgender” and “DSD” specifically, the organization’s medical committee is working on a policy concerning “sex, age, and weight” based on a review of global data and medical evidence to ensure a safe competition for all.

World Boxing’s president, Boris van der Vorst, welcomed the provisional recognition from the IOC, viewing this as a crucial step toward including boxing in the Olympic program. With 78 members across five continents, including Germany, World Boxing aims to establish itself as a legitimate governing body for the sport, fulfilling the IOC’s criteria for recognition which includes global representation and independent oversight of sports integrity. The move comes amid years of disputes between the IO

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/world-boxing-promises-fair-playing-field-for-women/a-71765202?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf