Fact Check: Imane Khelif wasn't banned from World Boxing Organization
Claim:
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who won a gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics, was banned from the World Boxing Organization (WBO) because she isn't a woman.
Rating:
Context:
On May 30, 2025, World Boxing, a different sanctioning body from the World Boxing Organization, announced that Khelif would not be allowed to compete in its events until passing a genetic sex-screening test.
In 2023, hours before her gold medal bout in the Women's World Boxing Championships, the International Boxing Association (IBA) governing body alleged without proof that Algerian boxer Imane Khelif did not meet the necessary requirements to compete as a woman.
A year later, Khelif won a gold medal at the Summer Olympics. Anti-transgender activists including author J.K. Rowling and right-wing politicians like U.S. President Donald Trump drew attention to Khelif's victory and alleged that she was a man. Snopes previously published a detailed story debunking the rumor.
Separately in March and May 2025, however, posts appeared online alleging that the World Boxing Organization (WBO), a different sanctioning body, had banned Khelif from competing in its events for life and stripped her of prize money and of her medals because she's a man.
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1274352917592234&set=a.267558808271655
The claim was false — World Boxing Organization President Gustavo Olivieri told Snopes via email that the WBO was not responsible for sanctioning amateur boxing (also called Olympic-style boxing) fights. He said the WBO only sanctioned professional boxing matches.
"Accordingly, any claims suggesting that the WBO has imposed a ban on amateur boxers are patently false," Olivieri wrote. "The WBO does not oversee amateur boxing, nor does it have the authority to regulate or restrict the participation of amateur athletes in non-professional competitions."
The response echoed an October 2024 news release from the WBO, which said the organization "had not tested, nor had it banned female boxer Imane Khelif."
There are significant rules differences between professional and amateur boxing, including the fact that professional bouts have a purse. Sports Illustrated reported in October 2024 that Khelif only has one professional fight to her name, a 2023 bout in Singapore that she won.
On May 30, 2025, World Boxing, a separate governing body set up by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to replace the IBA (there were strong concerns about corruption in the organization), announced that it would require all competitors to undergo genetic sex screening before competing, specifically mentioning Khelif in its statement.
"Boxer Imane Khelif Makes Major Decision Just Months after Olympic Gender Row." The Independent, 23 Oct. 2024, https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/boxing/imane-khelif-gender-row-olympics-pro-boxing-b2633922.html.
Carpenter, Les. "Olympic Woman Boxer Who Faced Gender-Eligibility Claim Wins, Igniting Outcry." The Washington Post, 1 Aug. 2025, https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2024/08/01/imane-khelif-algerian-boxer-gender-paris-olympics/.
"Fact Check: Imane Khelif Is Already a Professional Fighter, Despite Recent Reports." KO On SI, 26 Oct. 2024, https://www.si.com/fannation/boxing/fact-check-imane-khelif-already-had-pro-fight-despite-recent-reports-01jb5kk7ma4g.
"Fact Check: No, Imane Khelif Is Not Banned from Boxing – DW – 03/21/2025." Dw.Com, https://www.dw.com/en/fact-check-boxer-imane-khelif-is-not-banned-from-competing/a-71992959. Accessed 30 May 2025.
Ingle, Sean. "IOC Set to Strip IBA of Its Recognition as the Official Boxing Body for Olympics." The Guardian, 21 June 2023. The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/jun/21/ioc-set-to-withdraw-recognition-of-international-boxing-association.
Kasprak, Alex. "Olympic Boxer Imane Khelif Is Not a Trans Athlete." Snopes, 2 Aug. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//news/2024/08/02/imane-khelif-olympics-boxing/.
---. "Unverified Leak of Imane Khelif's Alleged Medical Records Misrepresented by Viral Headlines." Snopes, 20 Nov. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//news/2024/11/20/imane-khelif-medical-records/.
"Khelif Takes Gold: Facing Abuse Made Win 'Special.'" ESPN.Com, 9 Aug. 2024, https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/40797618/algeria-imane-khelif-wins-olympic-gold-amid-gender-dispute.
"Olympic Boxer Imane Khelif Fights Back as Boxing Association Files Suit in Gender Row." NBC News, 12 Feb. 2025, https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/olympic-boxer-imane-khelif-fights-back-boxing-association-files-suit-g-rcna191917.
"Olympic Boxing Champ Imane Khelif Must Undergo Genetic Sex Screening to Fight for New Governing Body." AP News, 30 May 2025, https://apnews.com/article/imane-khelif-boxing-sex-screening-88f16b5e421fb59e9411a440e279ae3f.
Simons, Sam. "World Boxing to Introduce Mandatory Sex Testing for All Boxers." World Boxing, 30 May 2025, https://worldboxing.org/world-boxing-to-introduce-mandatory-sex-testing-for-all-boxers/.
WBO. "REPORTS THAT THE WBO HAS BANNED BOXER IMANE KHELIF ARE FALSE." WBO, 10 Oct. 2024, https://wboboxing.com/boxing-news/reports-that-the-wbo-has-banned-boxer-imane-khelif-are-false/.
"What Is the Difference between Professional and Amateur Boxing? | DAZN News US." DAZN, 13 Apr. 2023, https://www.dazn.com/en-US/news/boxing/what-is-the-difference-between-professional-and-amateur-boxing/1gxo81gf7g3vu1sdc4b9dh4kvw.
Wolken, Dan. "World Boxing Enacts Sex-Testing Policy as Olympian Imane Khelif Is Set to Compete." USA TODAY, https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2025/05/30/olympic-gold-medalist-boxing-imane-khelif-world-boxing/83948401007/. Accessed 30 May 2025.
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