Olympic gold medallist Imane Khelif banned from World Boxing fights until undergoing sex test to determine gender

Sky News AU

a day ago

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif will be forced to undergo genetic sex testing to compete in World Boxing bouts as the sporting body announces sweeping eligibility screenings.
Controversy surrounded Khelif at the 2024 Olympics after Italian boxer Angela Carini dramatically withdrew from their round of 16 fight, saying she had feared for her safety.
Khelif, now aged 26, went on to win a gold medal in the Welterweight female category at the games in Paris.
The International Olympic Committee allowed Khelif to compete at the event despite the Algerian national having been disqualified from the 2023 world championships by the International Boxing Association after a test that the body said rendered Khelif ineligible to fight as a woman.
World Boxing, which is set to oversee boxing events at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, will now introduce mandatory genetic sex testing for all competitors in its boxing competitions.
The organisation said it had notified the Algerian Boxing Federation that Khelif could not compete in the Eindhoven Box Cup in the Netherlands next month until the boxer undertakes the test.
"Imane Khelif may not participate in the female category at... any World Boxing event until Imane Khelif undergoes genetic sex screening in accordance with World Boxing's rules and testing procedures," World Boxing said in a statement.
Algeria became a member of World Boxing in September last year, joining over 100 other national boxing federations.
World Boxing said in its announcement dated May 30 that the sex testing will form part of a new policy to 'deliver a competitive level playing field' for male and female athletes and ensure safety of boxers.
'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,' the statement said.
The testing, which will be compulsory for all boxers over the age of 18, will 'determine their sex at birth' and thereby their eligibility to compete in gender categories.
The new 'Sex, Age and Weight' policy will come into effect on July 1 and countries' national boxing federations will be expected to oversee testing of their own athletes.
'A failure to provide certification of the chromosomal sex of an athlete or the provision of a false certification, will render the athlete ineligible to compete and may lead to sanctions against the athlete and/or the athlete's National Federation,' World Boxing's statement said.
-With Reuters