Sex and the Olympics
DSD and Female Boxing
There is a reason men and women compete separately in nearly all sporting events, and especially so for combat sports such as boxing. Men have a biological advantage conferred on them by a developmental pathway that produces male gametes and brings with it male puberty and increases in different hormones. Sex is binary in that there are only 2 types of gametes, and bodies are organized around producing one of these. Male gametes almost always correspond to XY chromosomes.
The controversy in the Olympics centers on two fighters that the International Boxing Association (IBA) say are males with XY chromosomes. They have been previously disqualified by the association and one of them did not appeal that decision and the other started an appeal but then withdrew it. Their medical records were not revealed by the association, but it is highly likely that these individuals — while being observed female at birth due to external sex characteristics and raised as women — have a type of intersex (DSD) condition that comes with XY chromosomes, male gametes and male puberty (making them biologically male). If this is not the case, if they are indeed biological females, a simple test could put this whole controversy to rest. India’s female wrestler is facing disqualification after weighing in just 100 grams over the weight limit. How much more of an advantage would going through male puberty give a fighter?
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) abandoned mandatory sex testing in 1999. In 2021, the IOC asked individual sporting federations to develop their own eligibility policies. Last year, the IOC got into a row with the International Boxing Association (IBA) resulting in them stripping the IBA of its official status, which left the IOC in charge of Olympic boxing. Unlike the IBA, eligibility requirements of the IOC for this Olympics is that fighters are listed as female on their passport.
It is not hard to understand why many women, and men, would be interested in keeping women’s sports for biological females (and there is a further fear that such loose eligibility rules will allow for male-to-female transgender competitors in female sports in future Olympics). This is the position of biologists such as Colin Wright, and the world-renowned Richard Dawkins, who claims to have had his Facebook account deleted after posting that “genetically male boxers … should not fight women in the Olympics”.
Those who insist that these fighters are biological females should be the first to call for them to release their tests. Alternatively, those who support exceptions in cases of intersex athletes who are biologically male but were observed female at birth and raised as female, need to provide an argument that addresses the concerns of biological female athletes.
Update: The IBA disqualified both boxers for being genetically male. According to them, Lin did not appeal the decision. (Khelif started an appeal and then withdrew it). Reports in Taiwan media say that Lin and her coach did appeal but that the appeal was denied. Media reports in Taiwan also say that Lin sat for 2 tests on her return to Taiwan but only seem to mention testosterone and doping, not the tests to verify if she has XY chromosomes and went through male puberty (the tests that are the issue at hand). If Lin does indeed have XX chromosomes without male gametes and having undergone male puberty, she could easily solve this controversy by releasing such tests, and women (and men) on all sides of the debate would be the first to cheer her on. If, instead, these boxers have male DSD then there should be an open discussion about the fairness/safety of male DSD boxers competing in female sports.
Clarification: An XY female is unlikely to have any genetic advantage because they do not produce male gametes nor go through male puberty. The issue at hand is not about XY females but about XY male DSD (gametes and male puberty with secondary female sexual characteristics). That would give them an advantage, not the XY in isolation. (This is also, totally a separate topic to trans individuals in sports. These boxers are not trans.)
