Latest Updates: Olympic Gold Medalist Imane Khelif Banned From Women’s Boxing Pending Mandatory Gender Test
Imane Khelif, the champion of the Olympic gold medal, was legally barred from competing in World Boxing events less than a year following the Paris Games.
Algerian boxer Khelif garnered attention during the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris following a gender-related controversy that emerged after she secured the women’s welterweight title.
Khelif received approval from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to participate in the Paris Games, despite having failed the gender eligibility assessments conducted by the International Boxing Association (IBA) during the World Championships a year prior to the Olympics.
The controversy surrounding her gender intensified when the 26-year-old secured the gold medal in the women’s 66kg category with relative ease.
Furthermore, Khelif has been barred from entering any forthcoming women’s World Boxing events unless she can demonstrate that she is biologically female, nearly a year after the Paris Olympics.
This decision by World Boxing may have been influenced by increasing pressure in recent months regarding the safety and equity of women’s sports.
They recently confirmed that if Khelif successfully passes the necessary sex verification, she would be allowed to compete in the female category of the Eindhoven World Cup next week.
However, World Boxing has now imposed an indefinite ban on the 26-year-old due to her failure to undergo any such tests in the nine months following the Olympics.
“The implementation of mandatory testing will be a component of a new policy on ‘Sex, Age and Weight’ aimed at ensuring the safety of all participants and providing a fair competitive environment for both men and women,” stated World Boxing in an official announcement.
The national federations of the fighters will be tasked with overseeing the tests and delivering the results to World Boxing.
Additionally, the boxing association indicated that Khelif and other boxers have been informed of the policy change, which was implemented in light of “the specific circumstances surrounding certain boxers.”
The statement further noted, “Imane Khelif is prohibited from competing in the female category at the Eindhoven Box Cup or in any World Boxing event until she has completed genetic screening in accordance with the regulations and testing protocols of World Boxing.”
Khelif has consistently asserted her identity as a woman and has expressed her disagreement with the IBA’s previous findings since concerns regarding her gender were raised during the Olympics.
