How Thailand conducts gender testing for athletes at SEA Games 33

Gender verification in women's sports has long been a controversial issue. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, two cases drew global attention: Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu Ting.

More recently, the International Volleyball Federation disqualified a Vietnamese player from the 2025 U21 Women's Volleyball Championship over ineligibility, sparking speculation that gender was the reason.

Vietnam's Bui Thi Anh Thao (R) in a match with Dominica at the U21 Women's Volleyball Championship in Indonesia, Aug. 16, 2025. Photo by Volleyball World

The issue resurfaced on Aug. 15 during a press conference in Thailand, the host of SEA Games 33 to be held in December this year, when local media asked whether stricter gender testing would be imposed on female athletes.

SAT General Director Kongsak Yodmanee explained that requirements vary across disciplines, Siam Sport reported.

"Some sports, especially those with high levels of physical contact or competition, require testing," he said. "Other sports place less emphasis on this matter, as physiological differences have little effect on results."

Sports such as martial arts, ball games, swimming and athletics fall into the former category, while performance-based events like shooting and archery typically don't.

For SEA Games 33, SAT has assigned authority to each federation to manage testing in line with their governing bodies.

"We only supervise the process as a whole," Kongsak said. "If testing is required, it must strictly follow international rules and athletes cannot evade."

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has emphasized that gender policies should balance science with human rights. In November 2021, the IOC said it does not require universal testing or testosterone limits at the Olympic level. However, each federation can design its own rules based on evidence, respect and without forcing athletes to undergo unnecessary medical intervention.

This standard has conflicted with the International Boxing Association (IBA) in the case of Lin and Khelif. IBA said it is necessary to apply chromosome and testosterone tests. However, IOC affirmed that these methods have violated the standards set for the Paris Olympics.

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif celebrates with fans at the stadium after defeating Chinese boxer Yang Liu in the women's 66kg boxing gold medal match at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 9, 2024. Photo by AP

Since the mid-20th century, gender testing methods have evolved from physical examinations to chromosome and testosterone analysis, but all have faced medical and ethical criticism, with none delivering absolute accuracy.

Meanwhile, Thailand's track-and-field athletes will have to comply with World Athletics (WA) rules. From Sept. 1, participants in the women’s category must undergo genetic testing at least once in their careers, using a cheek swab or dried blood sample.

This approach, briefly applied at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics before being abandoned due to concerns over accuracy and discrimination against women with sex development differences. However WA insists that it is highly accurate and has an extremely low risk of false negatives or false positives.

Athletes who disagree with test results can appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). However, refusal to undergo testing will result in disqualification from ranked competitions, though participation in unranked events will still be allowed.