World Boxing Council Looking To Establish Transgender Divisions - Reports

The World Boxing Council (WBC) is seeking to establish new divisions in which transgender athletes can compete, Telegraph Sport reported on Thursday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th December, 2022) The World Boxing Council (WBC) is seeking to establish new divisions in which transgender athletes can compete, Telegraph Sport reported on Thursday.

The WBC will issue a worldwide call next year for transgender athletes wishing to compete to come forward, WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman said in an interview. The organization is looking to set up a separate league or tournament for transgender boxers, he said.

The WBC would adopt an "at birth" rule, allowing competition between boxers born with the same biological sex, Sulaiman said.

"In boxing, a man fighting a woman must never be accepted regardless of gender change," Sulaiman said. "We are creating a set of rules and structures so that transgender boxing can take place, as they fully deserve to if they want to box."

Boxing needs to be proactive about its policy on transgender athletes amid controversy on the issue in other sports, Sulaiman added.

The British Boxing board of Control has likewise committed to examining transgender boxing with an at-birth policy in mind, according to the report.