Latest news with #Eindhoven
South China Morning Post
5 hours ago
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Olympic champ Imane Khelif must undergo genetic sex screening to fight under new boxing body
Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif must undergo genetic sex screening to participate in upcoming events with the sport's new governing body. Advertisement World Boxing announced mandatory sex testing for all athletes on Friday. The governing body specifically mentioned Khelif when announcing the policy, saying the Algerian gold medal winner must be screened before she would be approved to fight at any upcoming events, including the Eindhoven Box Cup next month in the Netherlands. '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 wrote in a statement. The fighters' national federations would be responsible for administering the tests and providing the results to World Boxing. Khelif won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics last summer amid international scrutiny on her and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting, another gold-medal winner. The previous governing body for Olympic boxing, the Russian-dominated International Boxing Association, disqualified both fighters from its 2023 world championships after claiming they had failed an unspecified eligibility test. Taiwanese gold medallist Lin Yu-ting with her medal. Photo: Reuters The IOC ran the past two Olympic boxing tournaments after the banishment of the IBA for decades of misdeeds and controversy, and it applied the sex eligibility rules used in previous Olympics. Khelif and Lin were eligible to compete under those standards.
Daily Mail
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
I spent less than £150 on a weekend in Maastricht, Netherlands – here's how I did it
The hotel After an hour and a half's flight (or less) from Stansted or Manchester to Eindhoven, a 60-minute train ride deposits you in this historic Netherlands city. Check in at Hotel Monastère (below), a boutique stay in a former 14th-century monastery. With original features such as marble fireplaces, ornamental ceilings and stained-glass windows, each of the 52 rooms is unique. Expect king-size beds, blackout curtains and gorgeously tiled bathrooms (from £85 per night; The square The most famous one in the city is Vrijthof (below). Every July, Dutch conductor (and Maastricht native) André Rieu pulls up with his 60-piece Johann Strauss Orchestra for a series of open-air concerts – surrounding restaurants are booked out by diners soaking up the music and atmosphere (3-20 July 2025; During the last week of August, the square hosts the largest outdoor food festival in the Netherlands, known as the Preuvenemint (28-31 August 2025; The restaurant Maastricht is an alfresco dining paradise – as you'll see from a waterfront table at seafood haven Les Trois Seaux ( in 't Bassin, the city's old harbour turned modern marina. At Brasserie Louis, on the historic Onze Lieve Vrouweplein square, tuck in to the veal croquettes (they're served on two slices of bread with mustard; £14, Or secure a spot on the riverside terrace at Cinq (below) for steak tartare, served with side salad and fries (£23, The wine Maastricht and its rolling hills have an impressive selection of wineries. The family-run Apostelhoeve is Limburg's oldest vineyard (also one of the Netherlands' largest), producing dry white and sparkling wines (tastings from £19pp; A little further down the valley, wine estate Hoeve Nekum (below) turns out a variety of whites, reds and rosés (tastings from £15pp; Or visit wine shop Thiessen for a tasting in its charming little vineyard in the heart of the city (from £32pp; The bookshop Dating from the 13th century, the Dominican Church served as a place of worship for centuries until it was secularised after the French Revolution. The gothic building subsequently did time as an army warehouse, an exhibition hall and a bike shed until, in 2006, it was transformed into a bookshop. With its stained-glass windows, pointed arches and ribbed vaults, Boekhandel Dominicanen, as it is known today, is a must-visit, even for non-readers. Plus, it has a great café ( The snack It would be sacrilegious to leave Maastricht without indulging in a cup of coffee and a slice of local Limburgse vlaai (fruit-filled pie, below). The roastery Maison Blanche Dael has been a fixture since 1878 – you can't pass its premises at Wolfstraat 28 and not be drawn in by the aroma of freshly roasted beans ( Later, head to bakery De Bisschopsmolen, famed for its lattice-top pies. Try a slice filled with apple, plum, cherry or, my favourite, apricot (£3 a slice;
Al Jazeera
16 hours ago
- Health
- Al Jazeera
Olympic boxing champ Imane Khelif requires gender test to continue fighting
Algeria's Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif must undergo genetic sex screening in order to participate in upcoming events, the sport's governing body said, as it introduced mandatory sex testing for all boxers in its competitions. World Boxing announced the new policy on Friday and specifically mentioned Algeria's Khelif, who won the women's welterweight gold at the Paris Olympics last year and prompted a gender-eligibility row. '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,' the organisation said in a statement. '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,' it added. World Boxing is responsible for organising bouts at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, after being granted provisional recognition by the International Olympic Committee. Under the new policy, all athletes above the age of 18 who want to participate in a World Boxing-owned or sanctioned competition will need to undergo a PCR, or polymerase chain reaction genetic test, to determine what sex they were at birth and their eligibility to compete. The PCR test is a laboratory technique used to detect specific genetic material, in this case the SRY gene, that reveals the presence of the Y chromosome, which is an indicator of biological sex. The test can be conducted by a nasal or mouth swab, or by taking a sample of saliva or blood. National federations will be responsible for testing and will be required to confirm the sex of their athletes when entering them into World Boxing competitions by producing certification of their chromosomal sex, as determined by a PCR test. Reuters news agency reported that Khelif could not be reached for comment, while the Algerian Boxing Federation did not immediately respond to questions about the development. Khelif said in March: 'For me, 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.' 'I have competed in many tournaments, including the Tokyo Olympics and other major competitions, as well as four World Championships,' she said at the time. 'All of these took place before I started winning and earning titles. But once I began achieving success, the campaigns against me started.' The 26-year-old is targeting a second gold medal at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles after her triumph in Paris. Her Olympic success, along with that of Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting, led to a raging gender eligibility debate in Paris, with high-profile figures such as United States President Donald Trump and Elon Musk weighing in. In February, Trump signed an executive order banning transgender athletes from competing in women's sports. Khelif said she would not be intimidated by Trump as she is not transgender.
ABC News
17 hours ago
- Health
- ABC News
Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif must undergo genetic sex screening to fight for World Boxing
World Boxing has confirmed it will introduce mandatory sex testing for all boxers in its competitions. The governing body added that Paris Olympics gold medallist Imane Khelif will not be allowed to compete until she undergoes such a 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. "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 new policy comes less than a year after Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting both won gold in Paris amid a gender-eligibility row. World Boxing said they had written to the Algerian Boxing Federation stating that Khelif would not be allowed to compete at the upcoming Eindhoven Box Cup from June 5–10 until she underwent the test. Women's welterweight Olympic champion Khelif has not yet commented on the announcement, nor has the Algerian Boxing Federation. The country's federation joined World Boxing in September, one of more than 100 national federations that have joined the body since it was established in 2023. While amendments to competition rules are typically done by the World Boxing Congress, the new policy was adopted by the body's executive board, which holds the authority to make immediate amendments under "special or emergency circumstances". "These new eligibility rules were developed with the express purpose of safeguarding athletes in combat sports, particularly given the physical risks associated with Olympic-style boxing," World Boxing's statement said. All athletes over the age of 18 will have to undertake a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) genetic test, which can be conducted by a nasal or mouth swab, saliva or blood, World Boxing said. "The PCR test is a laboratory technique used to detect specific genetic material, in this case the SRY gene, that reveals the presence of the Y chromosome, which is an indicator of biological sex," World Boxing said. "Athletes that are deemed to be male at birth, as evidenced by the presence of Y chromosome … or with a difference of sexual development (DSD) where male androgenisation occurs, will be eligible to compete in the male category. "Athletes that are deemed to be female at birth … or with a DSD where male androgenisation does not occur, will be eligible to compete in the female category." In February, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning transgender athletes from competing in women's sports. In March, Khelif said she was determined to defend her title at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, adding that she would not be intimidated by Trump as she is not transgender. At the 2023 world championships, Khelif was disqualified by the International Boxing Association (IBA) after a test that the body said rendered her ineligible to fight as a woman on the grounds of gender. The IBA lost its Olympic recognition over governance issues, however, and the International Olympic Committee cleared Khelif to compete in Paris. AP/Reuters
Al Arabiya
18 hours ago
- Health
- Al Arabiya
Boxing champ Imane Khelif must undergo genetic sex screening under new rules
Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif must undergo genetic sex screening to participate in upcoming events with the sport's new governing body. World Boxing announced mandatory sex testing for all athletes Friday. The governing body specifically mentioned Khelif when announcing the policy, saying the Algerian gold medal winner must be screened before she will be approved to fight at any upcoming events, including the Eindhoven Box Cup next month in the Netherlands. '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 wrote in a statement. The fighters' national federations will be responsible for administering the tests and providing the results to World Boxing. Khelif won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics last summer amid international scrutiny on her and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting, another gold medal winner. The previous governing body for Olympic boxing, the Russian-dominated International Boxing Association, disqualified both fighters from its 2023 world championships after claiming they had failed an unspecified eligibility test. The IOC ran the past two Olympic boxing tournaments after the banishment of the IBA for decades of misdeeds and controversy, and it applied the sex eligibility rules used in previous Olympics. Khelif and Lin were eligible to compete under those standards. Khelif intends to return to international competition next month in Eindhoven as part of her plan to defend her gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics, but some boxers and their federations had already spoken out to protest her inclusion. Chromosome testing was common in Olympic sports during the 20th century, but was largely abandoned in the 1990s because of numerous ambiguities that couldn't be easily resolved by the tests, collectively known as differences in sex development (DSD). Many sports switched to hormone testing to determine sex eligibility, but those tests require governing bodies to make difficult decisions on the eligibility of women with naturally high testosterone levels. Three months ago, World Athletics - the governing body for track and field - became the first Olympic sport to reintroduce chromosome testing, requiring athletes who compete in the women's events to submit to the test once in their careers. World Boxing has been provisionally approved to replace the IBA as the governing body at the Los Angeles Games, but it has faced significant pressure from boxers and their federations to create sex eligibility standards. World Boxing announced that all athletes over 18 years old in its competitions must undergo a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) genetic test to determine their sex at birth. The PCR test detects chromosomal material through a mouth swab, saliva or blood. If an athlete intending to compete in the women's categories is determined to have male chromosomal material, 'initial screenings will be referred to independent clinical specialists for genetic screening, hormonal profiles, anatomical examination or other valuation of endocrine profiles by medical specialists,' World Boxing wrote. The policy also includes an appeals process. The boxing body's decision is the latest development in a tumultuous period in Olympic sex eligibility policy. The issue of transgender participation in sports has become an international flashpoint, with President Donald Trump and other conservative world leaders repeatedly weighing in. Earlier this year, World Athletics also proposed recommendations that would apply strict rules to athletes who were born female but had what the organization describes as naturally occurring testosterone levels in the typical male range. In 2023, World Athletics banned transgender athletes who had transitioned male to female and gone through male puberty. World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said he felt confident that the body's new rules would withstand legal challenges. The 26-year-old Khelif had competed in women's boxing events under the IBA's auspices without controversy until the 2023 world championships. She had never won a major international competition before her dominant performance in the women's welterweight division in Paris.
