world boxing council President Mauricio Sulaiman announced Thursday that the league is looking to expand the sport to allow transgender participation, but noted that they intend to create a separate category that follows an «at birth» rule to prevent wrestlers born of the opposite sex from competing. each other because of security concerns.
Sulaiman made the announcement during an interview with The Telegraph, telling the British outlet that the goal of the expansion is both «safety and inclusion».
WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman poses with the Union Championship belt during the Tyson Fury & Dillian Whyte Media Work Out at Wembley Park on April 19, 2022 in London.
(Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)
«It’s time to do this, and we’re doing it for safety and inclusion. We’ve been the leaders in women’s boxing rules, so the dangers of a man fighting a woman will never occur because of what we’re going to do. «. put in place».
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He continued: «In boxing, a man fighting a woman should never be accepted, regardless of the gender change. There should be no gray areas around this, and we want to approach it transparently and with the right decisions. From woman to man or from male to male. A transgender woman will never be allowed to fight a different gender by birth.»
Sulaiman said the WBC plans to «launch a global call» to engage interests in 2023 and will likely create a separate «league and tournament» with its own set of protocols.
The WBC World Champion belt is displayed at the Ukrainian Boxing Championships in the Ivano-Frankivsk region of western Ukraine.
(Yurii Rylchuk/Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
“We are creating a set of rules and structures so that transgender boxing can take place, as they fully deserve if they want to box. We don’t know the numbers out there yet, but we are opening up a universal registry. in 2023, so we can understand the fighters out there, and we’ll start from there.»
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Concerns about transgender athletes competing in combat sports stem from a decision by the International Rugby League in June that banned transgender women from competing in the women’s league.
«In order to avoid unnecessary welfare, legal and reputational risk to International Rugby League (IRL) competitions and those who compete in them, the IRL believes that there is a requirement and responsibility to consult and complete investigations. before finalizing its policy,» the statement said. statement at the time read.
World Boxing Council President Mauricio Sulaiman poses in a ring before an open training session with WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury at Wembley, west London on April 19, 2022.
(USTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
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«It is the responsibility of the IRL to balance the individual’s right to participate, a long-held principle of rugby league and at the heart of it from the day it was established, against the perceived risk to other participants, and to ensure that everyone is given a hearing. fair.»
The International Olympic Committee announced last year that each sport’s governing body would be responsible for creating its own policy regarding inclusion, adding that «it should be within the remit of each sport and its governing body to determine how an athlete may have a disproportionate advantage.» compared to their peers, taking into account the nature of each sport».