When the two Uganda’s female boxers Fatuma Nabikolo and Angel Katushabe were excluded from the 6th Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia due to lack of mandatory genetic sex test certificates, the Uganda Boxing Federation (UBF) quickly accused the Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC), the Islamic Solidarity Sports Association (ISSA) and World Boxing (WB) of not communicating such an important matter.
But after revisiting the matter that left two medal hopefuls frustrated and confused, Daily Monitor understands that all parties, except the victims-the boxers-share the blame.
Female boxers from Uganda, Egypt, Sudan among other countries were locked out because they lacked the genetic sex tests certificates, a new requirement for any competition organised or sanctioned by WB.
This rule, introduced August 20, 2025, sparked fury after 12 female boxers from France, Philippines, Fiji, Dominican Republic and Nigeria, were ruled out of the World Boxing Championships in Liverpool in September. They did the SRY tests in Leeds but the results returned past the entry deadline.
Now the technical handbook for the Riyadh Games 2025 explicitly says that boxing at the Games will be conducted in accordance with the latest World Boxing Competition Rules and Regulations, including but not limited to Wada Anti-Doping Rules, World Boxing Anti-Doping Rules.’
WB replaced the International Boxing Association-IBA-is the new international boxing governing body recognised by the International Olympic Committee).
The UBF feigns ignorance of these guidelines, faulting the UOC denying them information regarding the mandatory sex tests for female boxers ahead of the Riyadh Games.
UOC president Donald Rukare refutes the allegations, saying different sports have different rules and standards and thus the respective federations-not the UOC-must know these rules better and do the needful.
Rukare, also the interim president of the Commonwealth Games Sports Federation, cited that weightlifters had to pay license fees for the Riyadh Games. ‘Hadn’t we known this on time, they would have missed the competitions.’
But UBF president Moses Muhangi denies any culpability, insisting that the UBF submitted whatever the National Olympic Committee (NOC) ‘asked of us.’
But how true?
Muhangi claims the Chef de Mission (CDM) did not send UBF the boxing competition manual for the Riyadh Games. But Daily Monitor has seen evidence of the email sent by UOC’s Jonathan Wangolo to the UBF email address, Muhangi himself, and his deputy Sula Kamoga, among others. Rukare and Sadik Nasiwu, the CDM, were in copy.
The initial communication was from ISSA, explicitly saying boxing at the Islamic Games 2025 would follow WB rules.
The UOC had received it on October 21, 2025 and sent it to UBF, Muhangi and co. at 1:19pm on the same date.
The email also reminded the parties to ensure full compliance and eligibility to the rules. But UOC says the UBF had no queries about it.
Nasiwu briefly told Daily Monitor that UBF were just looking for excuses. Muhangi said if Nasiwu is telling the truth ‘let him share the screenshot of the sent email.’
But when we told Muhangi about our evidence of UOC’s email, he went mute.
Muhangi also claimed that WB’s sex test policy applied to only the Liverpool World Championships. ‘It does not state anywhere that it will also apply to other WB sanctioned events like these Riyadh Islamic Games. So it was very important that the conduit to the Games, that’s the NOC, to share with us all the necessary information regarding the Games to enable us to prepare better.’
But the NOC/UOC communicated WB’s position on the Games rules on October 21, as a reminder following the August 20 announcement to all WB member federations that the sex eligibility policy would first apply at the Liverpool event in September. And Section 4.1. states that the policy would apply to all ‘international-level competitions owned or sanctioned by WB.’
However, Muhangi’s first response to the saga was telling the media, on a WhatsApp group, that: ‘The Islamic Games are not a competition owned by WB, and it is not sanctioned by WB.’ He later asked: ‘Why are men not tested?’ These inconsistencies present Muhangi as either negligent or diversionary. Because he later admitted that WB sanctioned the Riyadh Games. And Section 7 of the Sex Eligibility Policy clearly states that male boxers must present sex test results by January 1, 2026.
Muhangi went on: ‘we are not the ones that put ineligible athletes on a plane to Riyadh. The NOC through the CDM should have double-checked to verify the eligibility of the boxers even before they secured travel documents for them since the NOC had all the information about the eligibility requirements.’
That is fractionally true. And Rukare admits: ‘We trusted federations too much. We should have double-checked. And going forward, we are going to be stricter.’
But that should have prevented one problem: ferrying ineligible boxers to the Games. But UBF will have failed in its role to conduct the sex tests, which, according to WB, is a mandate of national federations, not NOCs.
It goes back to one point: ‘The primary responsibility to know the nitty-gritty of their sport, athletes and rules is on federations,’ Rukare insisted.
UBF also seeks defence in the fact that not only Uganda was affected. ‘You mean all the other federations were negligent?’ a pro-Muhangi journalist asked.
Simple: if all boxing federations couldn’t be negligent, why should we think all NOCs of the affected countries did not play their role?
This is not the first time boxers are missing action at international events. In March 2024, Shafick Mawanda didn’t fight at the World Boxing Olympic Qualifiers in Busto Arsizio, Italy.
The UBF accused the UOC of delaying the team’s travel. But it was later revealed that the boy and his two coaches had missed the mandatory weigh-in, when they were already at the venue.
Window for flexibility
Could WB or ISSA have done better? Maybe. While the technical handbook clearly said that the Riyadh Games will be run by WB rules, the latest edition of these rules (November 2024) did not capture the Sex Eligibility Policy which was passed August 20, 2025.
More so, the Riyadh Games handbook of 12 pages and 3748 words does not mention the gender/sex tests. Where it requires boxers’ eligibility ‘in compliance with all WB regulations, including but not limited, World Boxing Anti-Doping Code, it further embedded a link to the World Boxing Anti-Doping Rules.
Maybe a link to the Sex Eligibility Policy would have silenced the excuses of ‘we didn’t know,’ ‘they didn’t communicate officially.’
The other eligibility requirements mentioned, included admitting ‘elite boxers from recognised national federation members of World Boxing, who hold WB record books.’
But we understand that the record books used in Riyadh were IBA record books, because WB-formed in 2023-only started competitions in 2024, and many IBA members-including Uganda-were at first reluctant to join.
Couldn’t the same flexibility about record books apply to sex tests, a completely new requirement in boxing?
And before you conclude ‘that maybe because it was mostly African countries affected in Riyadh,’ remember the same rules, barely two weeks old, knocked out all five French women in Liverpool.
The media also neglected its watchdog role. Had they asked the right questions in time, perhaps ineligible boxers would not have travelled to Riyadh.
‘We all dropped the ball. And sadly, it’s the athletes who suffered. But let’s pick lessons and do better going forward,’ Rukare said. But Muhangi is not sorry for anything.
SEX ELIGIBILITY POLICY
Announced: May 2025
Passed: August 2025
Debut: World Championship, September 2025