"We are doing this because of safety and inclusion" - World Boxing Council President Mauricio Sulaiman

The World Boxing Council (WBC) President Mauricio Sulaiman has stated that the organization intends to establish a new transgender category in 2023. Sulaiman stated that the new category will follow the ‘at birth’ regulation, which means that a transgender fighter classified as male at birth would only compete against another transgender fighter who was also assigned as male at birth. Transgender fighters would not be allowed to compete against non-transgender opponents under the plans.

During its involvement in a Sport New Zealand consultation on draught rules for transgender inclusion in sport in August, Boxing New Zealand announced its support for an open category in which transgender athletes would be allowed to compete. The International Swimming Federation, now known as World Aquatics, amended its stance on the inclusion of transgender swimmers in women’s competitions earlier this year, requiring persons to have completed transition by the age of 12. This year, World Triathlon also agreed to a new regulation allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s championships, with additional limits including a requirement to demonstrate low testosterone levels for two years.

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What the President of the World Boxing Council, Mauricio Sulaiman, Had To Say

“We are going to put out a global call for those who are interested in 2023 and we will set up the protocols, start consultation and most likely create a league and a tournament. It is the time to do this, and we are doing this because of safety and inclusion. We have been the leaders in rules for women’s boxing – so the dangers of a man fighting a woman will never happen because of what we are going to put in place. In boxing, a man fighting a woman must never be accepted regardless of gender change, said Sulaiman, according to The Telegraph.

“There should be no grey area around this, and we want to go into it with transparency and the correct decisions. Woman to man or man to woman transgender change will never be allowed to fight a different gender by birth, ” he added. He further stated that the organization intended to launch a universal registration next year in order to better comprehend the fighters who are present