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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

World boxing introduces mandated testing

171 replies

impossibletoday · 20/08/2025 17:19

https://x.com/RealWorldBoxing/status/1958144619079770572?t=qA9DJpJw1sKHL9tVlI32Gg&s=19

Mandatory.........

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Bergamotte · 21/08/2025 16:42

deadpan · 20/08/2025 17:26

Stupid that they didn't already do it. They could do with doing it in the male category too, surely it isn't safe for trans men to compete against men.

In the linked article they say they will be doing it in the male category as well; they are just doing it in the female category first.

If it would take a while to get everyone tested, it makes sense to bring this in for the female category first. Any female who wanted to compete in the male category would be choosing to do so when it is themselves who are put at risk and a disadvantage. Whereas if males compete in the female category, it is their opponents who are put at risk.

https://worldboxing.org/world-boxing-confirms-mandatory-sex-testing-will-apply-in-the-female-category-at-the-inaugural-world-boxing-championships-2025/

"Under the policy, World Boxing will operate two categories as determined by sex: a men’s category and a women’s category. To be eligible for the men’s category, a competitor must be male at birth. To be eligible for the women’s category, a competitor must be female at birth. [...]

World Boxing’s decision to prioritise testing in the female category is based on a recognition that the issues of safety and sporting integrity in relation to eligibility are most pronounced in women’s boxing. Testing will be applied for boxers in the male category at all World Boxing competitions from 1 January 2026."

World Boxing confirms mandatory sex testing will apply in the female category at the inaugural World Boxing Championships 2025 - World Boxing

New eligibility policy introduces mandatory sex testing for all World Boxing competitions World Boxing has introduced mandatory sex testing, to determine the eligibility of male and female athletes that want to participate in its competitions as part o...

https://worldboxing.org/world-boxing-confirms-mandatory-sex-testing-will-apply-in-the-female-category-at-the-inaugural-world-boxing-championships-2025/

JamieCannister · 21/08/2025 16:42

Nimnuan · 21/08/2025 16:04

Yeah, probably, but maybe not until you're in your late teens/early twenties. Don't forget it's fairly common for top tier female athletes to lose their periods so investigations might be delayed by assuming it's due to training volume from a young age.
By the time you find out you're probably in the middle of your sporting career and it'll be a big and very unpleasant surprise. You probably got picked on as a teenager for being "manly". You're probably really proud of your success and hard work. You might be relatively famous in your hometown. All of a sudden everyone is talking about how you were actually a man all along, you're accused of cheating, you can't play your sport anymore, people online think you have a penis.
Whether you should be allowed or not in women's sport is another question. It's just a really shit situation to find yourself in.

In such a circumstance (such an unlikely circumstance, not knowing your sex until your 20s) surely the only way you could make your "shit situation" worse is to continue to demand to play in the sporting category you were never entitled to enter, thus attracting more and more justified hate?

Also, I note bad things happen in life, and we can't keep everyone happy. Best we can do is what is right and fair.

JamieCannister · 21/08/2025 16:37

SirBasil · 21/08/2025 15:46

have men requested these women be stopped from entering? are they hoovering up the wins?

tbh, if men asked for that i'd support them. I would also support, however, the men's category being reclassified as "open" in any sport where they are separated by sex, and the women's being ringfenced for women. No men.

@MarieDeGournay i was merely pointing it out, since i probably missed what you said, that nobody is going to be humiliated or paraded.

I think "women are allowed their own things" is as good a reason to have women only sports, changing rooms and language as "safety, privacy and dignity" are.

I think men have an equal right to their own things as women do, even if the practical necessity is lower.

JamieCannister · 21/08/2025 16:34

Chersfrozenface · 21/08/2025 15:40

Chris Mosier - triathlete, duathlete, and racewalker.
Patricio Manuel - boxer
Schuyler Bailar - swimmer

Surprised.

Quick google and Mosier competed in a 36-39 age category.

Manuel won 3/4 fights (the first being against a man who lost 8 of 9 fights he fought over a 10 year period).

Geuninely surprised that this small intrusion of women completely unwanted into men's sports is so large. I thought it would be zero

Nimnuan · 21/08/2025 16:33

Imperativvv · 21/08/2025 16:08

I really doubt any high level athlete isn't getting investigations until their early 20s.

You might be right. I guess I'm imagining someone from a middle income/developing country who's competing professionally but not successful enough to be part of the national team/making very much money. Maybe I'm just stereotyping and it would be flagged up and investigated for someone like that.

Helleofabore · 21/08/2025 16:12

I suspect that the instance of not showing any signs of puberty by the time a girl is 14 or 15 is very rare. And if no breast development or spotting has started at all, then that girl needs to be properly checked.

I think that the prevalence of delayed periods is overplayed by some people. Sure periods might be disrupted, however there will be signs of puberty.

I have known very dedicated female elite swimmers and despite their training they showed signs of puberty. So too ballet dancers and gymnasts. It seems that this aspect is exaggerated.

Imperativvv · 21/08/2025 16:08

Nimnuan · 21/08/2025 16:04

Yeah, probably, but maybe not until you're in your late teens/early twenties. Don't forget it's fairly common for top tier female athletes to lose their periods so investigations might be delayed by assuming it's due to training volume from a young age.
By the time you find out you're probably in the middle of your sporting career and it'll be a big and very unpleasant surprise. You probably got picked on as a teenager for being "manly". You're probably really proud of your success and hard work. You might be relatively famous in your hometown. All of a sudden everyone is talking about how you were actually a man all along, you're accused of cheating, you can't play your sport anymore, people online think you have a penis.
Whether you should be allowed or not in women's sport is another question. It's just a really shit situation to find yourself in.

I really doubt any high level athlete isn't getting investigations until their early 20s.

Nimnuan · 21/08/2025 16:04

Ereshkigalangcleg · 21/08/2025 15:32

It’s not just about “unexplained infertility” it would mean that you have never had a period, and it’s likely investigations would be done.

Yeah, probably, but maybe not until you're in your late teens/early twenties. Don't forget it's fairly common for top tier female athletes to lose their periods so investigations might be delayed by assuming it's due to training volume from a young age.
By the time you find out you're probably in the middle of your sporting career and it'll be a big and very unpleasant surprise. You probably got picked on as a teenager for being "manly". You're probably really proud of your success and hard work. You might be relatively famous in your hometown. All of a sudden everyone is talking about how you were actually a man all along, you're accused of cheating, you can't play your sport anymore, people online think you have a penis.
Whether you should be allowed or not in women's sport is another question. It's just a really shit situation to find yourself in.

Helleofabore · 21/08/2025 16:03

If I remember correctly, Dr Ioannis Filippatos said during the Paris Olympics that part of the testing they did of Khelif and Lin was reviewing the masculinisation of their bodies. I expect that includes reviewing skeleton, musculature, fat distribution etc. He was clear that this was part of the review process to identify whether testosterone was being processed.

I would expect that falls under anatomical assessment and would require being naked.

SirBasil · 21/08/2025 15:46

have men requested these women be stopped from entering? are they hoovering up the wins?

tbh, if men asked for that i'd support them. I would also support, however, the men's category being reclassified as "open" in any sport where they are separated by sex, and the women's being ringfenced for women. No men.

@MarieDeGournay i was merely pointing it out, since i probably missed what you said, that nobody is going to be humiliated or paraded.

Chersfrozenface · 21/08/2025 15:45

..a return to the bad old days of parading naked before a medical panel etc etc.,...

You do know that the most common test for drugs involves a tester observing the urine stream going from the body of the person being tested into the container, don't you? To prevent tampering, obviously.

Absentmindedsmile · 21/08/2025 15:45

‘Khelif had been due to compete in a World Boxing tournament in the Netherlands in June, but opted to skip it shortly after the governing body initially announced its plans to introduce sex testing for all boxers in its competitions.‘

Think he’s starting male pattern baldness here as well.

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2612518/amp

Olympic champion Khelif denies ‘malicious’ claims of retirement

Get the latest breaking news and headlines from the largest Arab News website. Get world news, sport news, business news, entertainment, lifestyle, video and photos.

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2612518/amp

Chersfrozenface · 21/08/2025 15:40

JamieCannister · 21/08/2025 15:23

Have you any evidence of women seeking entry into the male category?

If you have then have you any evidence that any woman has proven herself to the extent that she would be accepted into a male tournament?

Chris Mosier - triathlete, duathlete, and racewalker.
Patricio Manuel - boxer
Schuyler Bailar - swimmer

Ereshkigalangcleg · 21/08/2025 15:32

Nimnuan · 21/08/2025 14:41

Obviously men need to be kept out of women's sport, whatever gender they decide they are, but it's a difficult situation for that tiny minority of people whose sex is genuinely ambiguous.
If you were born with a vulva and developed breasts as a teenager, to me you're a woman with a woman's experience of the world. You've been treated as a girl/woman. You wouldn't necessarily know about your chromosomes unless you had a DNA test, you might just think you're particularly muscular with unexplained infertility.

It’s not just about “unexplained infertility” it would mean that you have never had a period, and it’s likely investigations would be done.

JamieCannister · 21/08/2025 15:31

MarieDeGournay · 21/08/2025 10:43

World Boxing on boxers with DSDs, like Khelif:
Where test results for boxers that want to compete in the female category reveal Y chromosome genetic material and a potential Difference of Sexual Development (DSD), the initial screenings will be referred to World Boxing’s expert medical panel for genetic screening, hormonal profiles, anatomical examination or other valuation of endocrine profiles by medical specialists. The policy includes an appeals process, and support will be offered to any boxers that provide an adverse test result.

I don't know how that would work in practice, and I can see objections that it is demeaning, a return to the bad old days of parading naked before a medical panel etc etc., but at least they've addressed the issue directly, and distinguished it clearly from the separate issue of transgender athletes.

Presumably anyone who has the male "Y" chromosome and doesn't want to be paraded naked can withdraw their application to be in female sports?

If someone with the male "Y" chromosome has a genuine female-specific DSD then presumably they will have had all sorts of invasive sex-related examinations anyway, and they can opt to take another one in order to ensure that they get to enjoy the privilege of competing in high level sport.

MyAmpleSheep · 21/08/2025 15:25

Nimnuan · 21/08/2025 14:41

Obviously men need to be kept out of women's sport, whatever gender they decide they are, but it's a difficult situation for that tiny minority of people whose sex is genuinely ambiguous.
If you were born with a vulva and developed breasts as a teenager, to me you're a woman with a woman's experience of the world. You've been treated as a girl/woman. You wouldn't necessarily know about your chromosomes unless you had a DNA test, you might just think you're particularly muscular with unexplained infertility.

it's a difficult situation for that tiny minority of people whose sex is genuinely ambiguous.

Not withstanding that nobody's sex is genuinely ambiguous if they care to look into it, why is it "genuinely difficult"? If you always believed you were a woman and later find out you're not, when you find out, you stop competing in women's competitions.

JamieCannister · 21/08/2025 15:23

deadpan · 20/08/2025 17:26

Stupid that they didn't already do it. They could do with doing it in the male category too, surely it isn't safe for trans men to compete against men.

Have you any evidence of women seeking entry into the male category?

If you have then have you any evidence that any woman has proven herself to the extent that she would be accepted into a male tournament?

Imperativvv · 21/08/2025 14:58

SidewaysOtter · 21/08/2025 14:19

Good.

Not only does this mean a fair sport, but it hopefully means that the person who wittered on to me that "I heard she [where she meant Imane Khelif, and with particular emphasis on 'correct' pronouns] has a vagina" will now shut the fuck up. Unless he's keeping it in a drawer somewhere, maybe alongside Willyboy's cervix.

I wonder what the people who watch him do his urine tests for doping make of all this?

MarieDeGournay · 21/08/2025 14:47

SirBasil · 21/08/2025 14:31

seriously, and honestly: how many people will this apply to as a percentage of the people undergoing tests?

how many of that group won'T know about this?

it won't be in front of a room full of people and "drop your pants so we can all have a look"

Or would you prefer that women's sports remain a free-for-all?

I get it. I feel for anyone who will feel outed or hard done by in all this. but fuck me, 51% of the population are women. Why why why should ALL women stand aside for a very small number of people?

And if you think that is mean? Thank the trans lobby.

You have misunderstood me - I was just pointing out something that might be used as 'justification' for TRAs to compare with 'parading naked'.

Did you read my post at 10.43? I think it gave a clear indication of where I stand on men in women's sports, so I don't know why you think
'Or would you prefer that women's sports remain a free-for-all?' !

SirBasil · 21/08/2025 14:44

the point is, it isn'T going to be carried out on a) huge numbers of people and b) in a public setting.

It is, in fact, the cost of wanting to do sport in a women's category.

And so, distasteful as it may be to a very small minority of people - it is worth it to save women's sports. Or not?

spannasaurus · 21/08/2025 14:42

Anatomical examination could mean scans to detect testes or ovaries

Nimnuan · 21/08/2025 14:41

Obviously men need to be kept out of women's sport, whatever gender they decide they are, but it's a difficult situation for that tiny minority of people whose sex is genuinely ambiguous.
If you were born with a vulva and developed breasts as a teenager, to me you're a woman with a woman's experience of the world. You've been treated as a girl/woman. You wouldn't necessarily know about your chromosomes unless you had a DNA test, you might just think you're particularly muscular with unexplained infertility.

SirBasil · 21/08/2025 14:31

MarieDeGournay · 21/08/2025 13:59

I think you are referring to the basic universal test; what I quoted was the procedure in the case of someone with an unclear result because of having a DSD.

The procedure includes
' expert medical panel for genetic screening, hormonal profiles, anatomical examination or other valuation of endocrine profiles by medical specialists.'

That's what I think might get the 'parading naked' malarkey.

seriously, and honestly: how many people will this apply to as a percentage of the people undergoing tests?

how many of that group won'T know about this?

it won't be in front of a room full of people and "drop your pants so we can all have a look"

Or would you prefer that women's sports remain a free-for-all?

I get it. I feel for anyone who will feel outed or hard done by in all this. but fuck me, 51% of the population are women. Why why why should ALL women stand aside for a very small number of people?

And if you think that is mean? Thank the trans lobby.

SidewaysOtter · 21/08/2025 14:19

Good.

Not only does this mean a fair sport, but it hopefully means that the person who wittered on to me that "I heard she [where she meant Imane Khelif, and with particular emphasis on 'correct' pronouns] has a vagina" will now shut the fuck up. Unless he's keeping it in a drawer somewhere, maybe alongside Willyboy's cervix.

MarieDeGournay · 21/08/2025 13:59

SirBasil · 21/08/2025 10:47

it's a bloody cheek swab. I don't think there has ever been any "parading naked" malarkey.

They still have to pee into a cup in front of a witness for the drug testing tho.

I think you are referring to the basic universal test; what I quoted was the procedure in the case of someone with an unclear result because of having a DSD.

The procedure includes
' expert medical panel for genetic screening, hormonal profiles, anatomical examination or other valuation of endocrine profiles by medical specialists.'

That's what I think might get the 'parading naked' malarkey.