The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has previously made its feelings clear on stripping Imane Khelif of her Olympic gold medal.
Khelif, 26, won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, but her triumph was shrouded in controversy as a debate about her gender emerged.
As reported by BBC Sport, at the 2023 World Championships, Khelif failed a gender eligibility test, the IBA said.
The IBA said the fighter had “failed to meet the eligibility criteria for participating in the women’s competition, as set and laid out in the IBA regulations”.
However, the governing body for the Paris Games was the IOC, with the body stating that gender was based on one’s passport, which in Khelif’s case states she is a female.
Imane Khelif won Olympic gold (Credit:Getty)
There has been no suggestion that Khelif identifies as anything but a female.
On May 30, BBC Sport reported that the 26-year-old will “not be allowed to fight in the female category at World Boxing competitions until she undergoes a mandatory sex test”.
World Boxing was granted provisional recognition as the sport’s international governing federation by the IOC in February 2025.
“The introduction of mandatory testing will be part of a new policy on ‘sex, age and weight’ to ensure the safety of all participants and deliver a competitive level playing field for men and women,” World Boxing’s statement said.
“The policy is in the final stages of development and has been crafted by a specially convened working group of the World Boxing medical and anti-doping committee, which has examined data and medical evidence from an extensive range of sources and consulted widely with other sports and experts across the world.”
Imane Khelif’s career has been shrouded in controversy (Credit:Getty)
On June 1, Khelif broke her silence for the first time since the ruling.
In an Instagram post, she said: “Today, I became a champion, but it all started long ago! When my parents believed in me, even when the dream felt too big.
“When they supported me, listened to me, and stood by me. Being a parent isn’t easy. There’s no manual.
“But the love, patience, and trust you give your child can change everything. On this #GlobalDayOfParents, I just want to say thank you.”
So, what has the IOC said about stripping her of her Olympic gold medal after claims emerged in 2024?
According to Reuters, in 2024, a spokesperson for the body said: “There is absolutely no truth in these claims.”
The president of World Boxing has issued an apology after naming Imane Khelif in the governing body’s announcement of mandatory sex testing.
During the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Khelif of Algeria won gold in the 66kg women’s division.
Khelif’s run to victory was marred by controversy over her eligibility after she was banned from competing at the World Championships in New Delhi, India, with the previous governing body, IBA, making the decision after claiming she failed unspecified gender tests.
However, the 26-year-old was cleared to compete in Paris after the IBA was removed as the governing body of amateur boxing and replaced by the Paris Boxing Unit (PBU), who stated competitors were eligible for the women’s division in the Olympics if their passports said they were female.
Imane Khelif won gold during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Image: Getty
This week, it was stated that World Boxing will be the provisional organisation for the 2028 Olympics and announced that the 26-year-old is banned from competing in future women’s events unless she provides proof that she is a female.
A statement read: “Imane Khelif may not compete in the female category at the Eindhoven Box Cup or in any World Boxing event until Imane Khelif undergoes genetic screening in accordance with World Boxing’s rules and testing procedures.”
Now, as reported by the BBC, World Boxing president Boris van der Vorst has written to the Algerian Boxing Federation to apologise for naming Khelif, stating that “the athlete’s privacy should have been protected”.
Imane Khelif. Image: Getty
Khelif has also issued her first statement since the ban, as she took to Instagram on the ‘Global Day of Parents’ to say thank you to her parents.
She said: “Today, I became a champion, but it all started long ago! When my parents believed in me, even when the dream felt too big.
“When they supported me, listened to me, and stood by me. Being a parent isn’t easy. There’s no manual. But the love, patience, and trust you give your child can change everything. On this #GlobalDayOfParents, I just want to say thank you.”
Olympic gold medallist Imane Khelif has officially been banned from competing inWorld Boxing events less than a year after competing at the Paris Games.
Throughout the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Algerian boxer Khelif made headlines after a debate regarding over gender emerged following her dominance in the women’s welterweight event.
A year before the Olympic Games, Khelif failed the International Boxing Association (IBA) gender eligibility tests at the World Championships, but was cleared by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to compete in Paris.
The 26-year-old went on to win the gold medal in the women’s 66kg division with relative ease, further adding fuel to discussions over her gender.
And now, nearly a year after the Paris Olympics, Khelif been banned from competing in all future World Boxing events in the women’s category, unless she can provide proof of being biologically female.
Imane Khelif claimed gold in the women’s 66kg at the Paris Olympic Games. (Image: Getty)
In recent months, World Boxing has faced mounting pressure about safety and fairness in women’s sport, perhaps leading to their decision.
They recently confirmed that Khelif would be cleared to compete in the female division of next week’s Eindhoven World Cup, if she passed mandatory sex screening.
But as the 26-year-old has not submitted to any such test in the nine months since the Olympics, World Boxing have now handed her an indefinite ban.
“The introduction of mandatory testing will be part of a new policy on ‘Sex, Age and Weight’ to ensure the safety of all participants and deliver a competitive level playing field for men and women,” World Boxing said in an official statement.
“The fighters’ national federations will be responsible for administering the tests and providing the results to World Boxing.”
The boxing organisation also confirmed that this decision was taken in response to ‘the particular circumstances around some boxers,’ including Khelif, who had been informed of the change in policy.
“Imane Khelif may not compete in the female category at the Eindhoven Box Cup or in any World Boxing event until Imane Khelif undergoes genetic screening in accordance with World Boxing’s rules and testing procedures,” the statement added.
Khelif defeated Liu Yang in to win gold in Paris. (Image: Getty)
Ever since questions regarding her gender were raised at the Olympics, Khelif has adamantly stated that she is a woman and that she contests the IBA’s previous findings.
In a recent interview with The Telegraph, she said: “I see myself as a girl just like any other girl. I was born a girl, raised as a girl, and have lived my entire life as one.”
The IOC have issued a response after Imane Khelif was banned from competing at events organised by World Boxing.
Representing Algeria, Khelif won gold at the Olympics during a dominant run in the 66kg women’s competition but received monumental backlash amid a debate about her gender eligibility.
Khelif, born and raised a female, was banned from competing at the the World Championships in New Delhi, India, with previous governing body IBA making the decision after claiming she failed unspecified gender tests.
The IBA were stripped of its governing body status for the Olympics in Paris and replaced by the Paris Boxing Unit (PBU), with Khelif cleared to participate due to holding a female passport.
But World Boxing are the provisional organisation for the 2028 Olympics and have announced that the 26-year-old is banned from competing in future female events unless she provides proof that she is a female.
Imane Khelif won Gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Image: Getty
The body said they will introduce “mandatory testing” as part of “a new policy on ‘Sex, Age and Weight’” and then revealed a letter they sent to the Algerian Boxing Federation about Khelif.
“Imane Khelif may not compete in the female category at the Eindhoven Box Cup or in any World Boxing event until Imane Khelif undergoes genetic screening in accordance with World Boxing’s rules and testing procedures,” the letter read.
Discussion about Khelif’s situation has once again surfaced online and after issuing a series of comments throughout the controversy at the Olympics, the IOC (International Olympic Committee) have reacted to the recent developments.
“The IOC has always made it clear that eligibility criteria are the responsibility of the respective International Federation,” an IOC spokesperson said.
“The factors that matter to sports performance are unique to each sport, discipline, and/or event. We await the full details how sex testing will be implemented in a safe, fair and legally enforceable way.”
The test Imane Khelief must undergo in order to participate in World Boxing events
In order to compete, Khelif must take a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test which can “detect specific genetic material” through a nasal/mouth swab, saliva or blood.
In the result, the boxer would require the absence of Y chromosome genetic material in order to be cleared to compete.
Should results reveal Y chromosome genetic material and a possibility of DSD (difference of sexual development), World Boxing have said that independent clinical specialists will look into the matter and oversee genetic screening, hormonal profiles, anatomical examination and more.
3 Wire Sports published what they claim is an “abnormal” official test result from Dr Lal PathLabs in New Delhi on 17 March at 10:30am and one that showed a “male karyotype”.
Khelif, who has claimed she will go into professional boxing and has offers to do so, has always contested the IBA’s findings.
Imane Khelif returned to the ring with a second consecutive victory at the North Paris Arena on Saturday as debate over her participation in the Olympic event continues.
Khelif’s involvement in the showpiece has become one of the most talked about topics relating to this year’s games in Paris.
The controversy stems from Algerian Khelif and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan being banned from the Women’s World Championships in New Delhi, India last year.
IBA, the governing body at the time, said that both “have XY chromosomes” and failed gender eligibility tests.
However, the IBA were stripped of its duties as a governing body by the IOC (International Olympic Committee) and replaced by the Paris Boxing Unit (PBU) for the Olympics.
They allowed both to compete, as they did in the delayed Tokyo Olympics back in 2021.
Khelif was born a female and has not transitioned despite mass misinformation spread online.
Olympic boxing- Getty
Her second round encounter in the women’s welterweight competition saw Angela Carini of Italy withdraw just 46 seconds into their fight after she was caught with two punches which she said were the “hardest’ she had ever been hit with.
She then said it was unfair that Khelif was allowed to compete, causing an almighty storm that she later apologised for.
Khelif progressed to the quarter final of the 66kg bracket and was paired against Hungarian Anna Luca Hamori, who received backlash for a series of Instagram posts which fans called “disgusting” and “sad”.
Despite having a point removed for excessive holding, she controlled the three-round fight in slick fashion with her jab and qualified for the semi finals after a clean sweep victory on the judges’ scorecards.
She showed sportsmanship by sharing an embrace with her opponent and opening up the rope for her to exit the ring.
Image: Getty
The 25-year-old was overcome with tears of joy as she celebrated with her coaches after guaranteeing at least a bronze medal.
