Imane Khelif must undergo sex test to compete in female category, World Boxing announces
Imane Khelif has been told by World Boxing she will not be permitted to fight in the female category until she takes a sex test. The Algerian boxer won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics, but a row over her gender eligibility overshadowed the games. World Boxing, which will run the sport at the Los Angeles Games in 2028, announced on Friday that male and female athletes would have to take mandatory sex tests. The governing body confirmed it had specifically written to the Algerian Boxing Federation to inform Khelif that she would be barred from competing in the female category, unless she passed a test. In an exclusive interview with ITV News in March, Khelif stressed she was determined to win gold in Los Angeles. Speaking to Steve Scott, ITV News sports editor, Khelif said she was ''born a girl, raised a girl'' and that her aim was to win a 'second gold medal, of course – in America, Los Angeles'.
In a statement, the governing body said: ''World Boxing will introduce mandatory sex testing, to determine the eligibility of male and female athletes that want to take part in its competitions.
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. ''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.''In light of plans to introduce this policy and the particular circumstances surrounding some boxers that competed at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, World Boxing has written to the Algerian Boxing Federation to inform it that Imane Khelif will not be allowed to participate in the female category at the Eindhoven Box Cup or any World Boxing event until Imane Khelif undergoes sex testing.''
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