The presence of two boxers with Differences of Sexual Development (DSD) at the Paris Olympics has revived the ongoing discussion about whether athletes with DSDs should be allowed to compete in women’s events. DSDs are a group of rare conditions affecting genes, hormones, and reproductive organs. Some individuals with DSDs are raised as female but possess XY sex chromosomes, testosterone levels within the male range, and utilize testosterone circulating in their bodies.
The existence of separate women’s sports categories across most sports acknowledges the significant advantage conferred by going through male puberty. This advantage extends beyond higher testosterone levels to encompass increased muscle mass, skeletal benefits, and faster twitch muscle fibers. In combat sports such as boxing, these differences are perceived as a potential safety concern.
At last year’s world championships in New Delhi, boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting were disqualified due to International Boxing Association (IBA) eligibility rules prohibiting athletes with XY chromosomes from competing in women’s events. Algeria’s Khelif was disqualified hours before her gold-medal bout, while Taiwan’s double world champion Lin lost her bronze medal after failing to meet the criteria.
Following the stripping of its status as the global governing body for boxing by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) due to governance, finance, and ethical issues, the IOC now manages the boxing competition at the Paris Games, as they did at the Tokyo Olympics. The IOC’s rules regarding the inclusion of athletes with DSDs and gender diversity in women’s competition are applicable.
The latest IOC guidelines, issued in 2021, emphasize inclusion as the default approach, with athletes excluded from women’s competition only when clear fairness or safety issues arise. “Federations need to make the rules to make sure that there is fairness but at the same time with the ability for everyone to take part who wants to. That’s a difficult balance,” stated IOC spokesman Mark Adams. “In the end it’s up to the experts for each discipline. They know very well where there is an advantage, and if that is a big advantage then that is clearly not acceptable. But that decision needs to be made at that level,” he added.
The debate extends beyond boxing. Zambia women’s soccer captain Barbra Banda was ruled ineligible for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations after failing gender eligibility tests conducted by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Despite captaining her country at last year’s Women’s World Cup and scoring a hat-trick in the first half of a 5-6 loss to Australia at the Paris Olympics, she was deemed ineligible. FIFA, the governing body for Olympic football, still adheres to rules published in 2011, permitting only men in men’s competitions and women in women’s competitions. While a review of this policy is underway, no completion timeline has been announced.
South Africa’s double Olympic 800-meter track champion Caster Semenya has been at the heart of this debate for over a decade. In recent years, governing bodies for athletics, cycling, swimming, and rugby union have tightened regulations to exclude athletes with the advantage of male puberty from some or all women’s competitions. Semenya has been restricted from competing in distances between 400m and the mile since 2018 unless maintaining lower testosterone levels through medication. She continues to challenge World Athletics’ regulations through the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), where her case remains under consideration.
The IOC has defended its decision to allow the two boxers to compete. “I would just say that everyone competing in the women’s category is complying with the competition eligibility rules,” stated IOC spokesman Adams. “They are women in their passports and it is stated that is the case.”
Opinions on the issue vary. Australian boxer Tiana Echegaray expressed concerns about fighting an actual man but acknowledged lacking specific knowledge of the boxers’ situations. Caitlin Parker, another Australian boxer, believes that while the boxers may have biological and genetic advantages, she sees them as strong female athletes with a good chance of winning. Lin’s teammate Chia Wei Kan expressed confidence in her abilities.
The debate surrounding DSD athletes in women’s sports continues, highlighting the complex interplay between fairness, safety, and inclusion within the world of competitive sports. As governing bodies and athletes grapple with these issues, the future of participation for DSD athletes in women’s competitions remains uncertain.
