FACT CHECK: Was Imane Khelif Banned by World Boxing Organization Until Passing Genetic Sex Verification Test?

International Business Times

02-06-2025

Has Imane Khelif been proved biologically male and banned from taking part in any boxing match? A claim surfaced over the weekend that World Boxing, a separate governing body from the World Boxing Organization, — announced that Khelif would be barred from participating in its competitions until passing a genetic sex verification test.
In 2023, just hours before her final match for the gold medal at the Women's World Boxing Championships, the International Boxing Association (IBA) claims without valid proof that Algerian boxer Khelif did not meet the eligibility criteria to compete in the women's division. A year later, Khelif went on to win gold at the Summer Olympics amid conyroversy.
Fresh Claims About Khelif's Gender
Khelif's win sparked backlash from anti-transgender figures, including author J.K. Rowling and conservative political leaders such as U.S. President Donald Trump, who claimed she was male.
Fresh claims appeared in May 2025, with social media posts circulating that the World Boxing Organization (WBO)—a different regulatory body—had permanently banned Khelif from competition and revoked her medals and prize earnings, claiming she is male.
However, the claim is false. World Boxing Organization President Gustavo Olivieri clarified in an email to fact checking website Snopes that the WBO does not oversee amateur or Olympic-style boxing events. He explained that the organization is only involved in regulating professional boxing bouts.
"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 statement was consistent with an earlier press release issued by the WBO in October 2024, which confirmed that the organization "had not tested, nor had it banned female boxer Imane Khelif."
Claim Completely False
Professional and amateur boxing has significant rule differences— for instance, professional matches involve prize money. According to a report from Sports Illustrated in October 2024, Khelif has only taken part in one professional fight, which took place in Singapore in 2023 that she won.
On May 30, 2025, World Boxing — a separate governing body formed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to replace the IBA due to serious corruption concerns — announced that all athletes must undergo genetic sex verification before competing. The organization specifically named Khelif in its statement.
Meanwhile, a new lab report leaked on Monday that suggests Khelif is biologically male. Khelif was found to have XY chromosomes, according to the leaked findings from a 2023 examination conducted by a certified Indian doctor.
The test results prompted the Russian-led boxing federation to disqualify Khelif from competing in the 2023 Women's World Boxing Championship in India. Despite the controversy, Khelif was allowed to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics by the event's governing body, which sparked intense public debate. Khelif went on to win a gold medal at the Olympics.
"Chromosome analysis reveal male karyotype," mentioned the document, referencing the presence of male chromosomes, according to the test results reported by 3 Wire Sports. The tests were conducted at Dr. Lal Path Labs in New Delhi, a facility accredited by the American College of Pathologists and certified by the International Organization for Standardization, according to The Telegraph.
Despite the lab's credentials, officials at the Paris Olympics dismissed the findings as "not legitimate" when they allowed Khelif to compete, implying that Russian authorities may have spread false information about her in an attempt to gain a competitive advantage.