this post was submitted on 31 May 2025
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In light of plans to introduce this policy and the particular circumstances surrounding some boxers that competed at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, World Boxing has written to the Algerian Boxing Federation to inform it that Imane Khelif will not be allowed to participate in the female category at the Eindhoven Box Cup or any World Boxing event until Imane Khelif undergoes sex testing.

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[–] GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca 47 points 3 days ago (30 children)

Looks like I need to post this again.

[–] SorteKanin 3 points 2 days ago (5 children)

That's a nice infographic, but must we not draw a vertical line somewhere on that spectrum to say what is allowed in women's sport? It seems unreasonable to allow everything on the spectrum as women's sports would be dominated by people from the male end of the spectrum.

[–] GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 days ago (4 children)

Sure, but do you think that's the test they're doing? Are they testing for the various SRY mutations? Multiple X chromosomes? Multiple Y? Genes that impact hormone regulation?

There are certainly issues with sport categories that are designed to be for something other than the elite in their field, but I don't expect nuance from the same groups that banned a boxer because she wasn't sufficiently attractive.

[–] SorteKanin 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Sure, but do you think that’s the test they’re doing?

I mean they state right there what kind of test they are doing (but perhaps you didn't read it or missed that part?):

all athletes over the age of 18 that want to participate in a World Boxing owned or sanctioned competition will need to undergo a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) genetic test to determine their sex at birth and their eligibility to compete.

The PCR test is a laboratory technique used to detect specific genetic material, in this case the SRY gene, that reveals the presence of the Y chromosome, which is an indicator of biological sex. The test can be a be conducted by nasal/mouth swab, saliva or blood.

So they are testing for the presence of the Y chromosome. Not sure if that covers any of the questions you asked there but presumably no. But again, we must draw the line somewhere and "presence of the Y chromosome" doesn't seem to be an unreasonable way to determine that line - at the very least it sounds like a very unambiguous way to draw the line. But I am not an expert so I won't speak with any confidence about this.

[–] GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

So this test probably won't catch someone who is XY, but missing the SRY gene. I'm not sure if it will detect a mutated SRY gene, and I don't pretend to be an expert. I also can't be sure if thos test will catch someone who is XX with an SRY gene, which is also a thing, nor if it will catch XX/XY mosaicism. And those are the easy ones.

The fact of the matter is, internationally competitive athletes are a group of 0.1% or less, and people with abnormal sex genes, let alone abnormal genes in general, fall into the 0.5% to 1% category. What do you think the overlap is in two groups of outliers?

Edit: Extra reading. Note the 24 genetic variations (that we know of) that count as intersex.

[–] SorteKanin 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

What do you think the overlap is in two groups of outliers?

Well, seeing as people with abnormal sex genes may have an advantage in competitive women's sports, you would actually expect to see a significant amount of that "outlier" group in the group of top athletes, as there is a selection happening. You're right that if you chose independently at random from people who are top athletes and people who have abnormal sex genes, the overlap would be incredibly small. But sports is not a random selection at all. At the top of sports, even the smallest advantage means the difference between winning and losing, so even small variations (like those caused by abnormal sex genes) may give significant advantages (perhaps even "unfair" advantages).

[–] GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 days ago

And to that, I'll reiterate my second paragraph previously.

There are certainly issues with sport categories that are designed to be for something other than the elite in their field, but I don't expect nuance from the same groups that banned a boxer because she wasn't sufficiently attractive.

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