MANDATORY testing of sex chromosomes in sport is neither justified, ethical nor viable, a group of academics says.

Safety and fairness in female sport was one of the most prominent topics at this summer’s Olympic Games, where boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu Ting took gold in the women’s welterweight and featherweight categories respectively.

The International Boxing Association (IBA) had disqualified the fighters from its World Championships last year for allegedly failing gender eligibility tests, though the governing body failed to provide any concrete evidence in support of this at a press conference during the Games.