Former Team GB swimmer Sharron Davies has called for ‘once in a lifetime’ sex tests for all female athletes amid the ongoing gender debate at the Paris Olympics.

Davies, who won silver at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, has been a vocal proponent of more vigorous gender testing, taking a bold stance in the row surrounding Algerian boxer Imane Khelif.

Taking to the X social media platform to vent her frustrations, Davies fumed: “Please ask WHY won’t the IOC do simple once in a lifetime cheek swab sex tests, when the result would be fair & safe sport for females?”

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Khelif was born female but was found to have the ‘XY’ chromosome in gender tests from the Russian-led IBA governing body and banned from last year’s World Championships.

The IBA has since been stripped of its right to govern Olympic boxing on grounds of corruption, with athletes’ eligibility for events at the Paris Games based on the passport of the competitor.

Despite the fact that Khelif was born female and is not a transgender athlete, as many have erroneously accused her of being, she continues to face significant abuse and backlash.

This, however, has not stopped her from performing in the ring and on Tuesday evening she booked her place in the final of the women’s 66kg competition with a points victory over Janjaem Suwannapheng. 

“I don’t care,” she said after winning her semi-final. “I don’t care what anyone is saying about me with the controversy. All that is important to me is that I stay on the level and give my people the performance they deserve. I know I’m a talented person and this is a gift to all Algerians.”

The 25-year-old will now face Chinese boxer Yang Liu in the final with an Olympic gold medal on the line after she edged past Thailand’s Chen Nien-chin in the semi-finals.