Explained: How Gender Tests Work And Why Algerian Boxer Failed It

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif's Olympic bout against Angela Carini ended in just 46 seconds after the Italian fighter withdrew from the match. She was seen sobbing in the middle of the ring. However, the match result led to massive outrage on social media, a debate about Khelif's gender and whether or not she should have been allowed to compete in the women's category. Khelif, a biological woman, has lost on several occasions, including at the Tokyo Olympics

It has also led to many asking what gender testing exactly is. The procedure of identifying whether a person is male or female is known as gender testing. It is often implemented to find out the sex of your unborn kid. In the sports circuit, gender tests are employed to ascertain an athlete's sex because there have been instances of men competing as women and getting undue advantage from it.

How Does Gender Testing Work

According to Healthline, gender tests are evaluated by specialists in internal medicine, gynaecology, endocrinology, and psychology. The ones opting for gender verification undergo blood tests that determine their chromosomes, sex hormones, and genes. If the results obtained from the blood sample show that the person has the Y chromosome, it indicates that they are a male. If the Y chromosome is absent, it reveals that the person is a female.

A somewhat less invasive test is known as cell-free DNA screening, in which a patient provides a blood sample at a local lab or the doctor's office, according to Healthline. There are home DNA kits available as well. These tests function similarly to lab tests, with the only exception being that they search for male chromosomes rather than screening the person's blood.

History Of Gender Testing

According to Topend Sports, the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) launched the very first gender verification testing in sports in 1996. Concerns that men with a physical advantage in strength and muscle mass were cheating by masquerading as women in female-oriented competitions led to the implementation of gender testing. Although the IAAF abandoned it in 1991, women athletes were tested at the Olympic Games at Albertville and Barcelona using polymerase chain reaction (PCR).