Latest news with #gender
The Sun
2 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
Leaked medical document ‘proves Imane Khelif is a biological male' after winning gold in women's boxing at Olympics
OLYMPIC gender row boxer Imane Khelif has been hit with fresh accusations of being a biological male. Khelif won gold for Algeria at the Paris Games in 2024 - a year after being banned from International Boxing Association competition. 2 In 2023, the IBA banned Khelif after tests taken in New Delhi allegedly produced the DNA of a 'male'. The IOC - who replaced the IBA as the Olympic's boxing governing body - were warned about the tests and urged to remove Khelif from the competition. But Khelif was allowed to box in Paris because of her female passport status. Now, the alleged sex-test results from the 2023 World Championships have been been published for the first time by 3 Wire Sports. The medical report appears to indicate that the boxer is biologically male. American journalist Alan Abrahamson produced the result of a test said to have been carried out on the boxer in New Delhi in March 2023 - which triggered the boxer's disqualification. The document published summarises the findings on Khelif as 'abnormal', stating: 'Chromosome analysis reveals male karyotype." A karyotype refers to an individual's complete set of chromosomes, which in Khelif's case has been reported by (IBA) as being XY, the male pattern. The alleged test results carry the letterhead of Dr Lal PathLabs in New Delhi, accredited by the American College of Pathologists and certified by the Swiss-based International Organisation for Standardisation. This directly challenges what IOC spokesman Mark Adams said in a tense news conference at the Paris Olympics. He described the results that saw Khelif banned as 'ad hoc' and 'not legitimate'. IOC president Thomas Bach even claimed that the results are the product of a Russian-led misinformation campaign. It followed after the IBA - headed by Russia's Umar Kremlev - had been stripped of IOC recognition in a row over ethics and financial management. Khelif has always denied being a biological male and even named JK Rowling and Elon Musk in a cyberbullying lawsuit. And the 26-year-old has vowed to fight on, even eyeing another gold at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. But World Boxing has ruled that Khelif is ineligible to enter future events as a woman without first submitting to the same chromosome testing that has already triggered the boxer's disqualification at global level. The governing body - provisionally approved to run Olympic boxing in LA - announced that all athletes in its competitions over 18 years old must undergo a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) genetic test to determine their sex. The test detects chromosomal material through a mouth swab, saliva or blood. Khelif has failed to provide any evidence of having female chromosomes in the nine months since the gender scandal erupted. In February, Khelif spoke out in her defence and wrote: 'For two years, I have taken the high road while my name and image have been used, unauthorised, to further personal and political agendas through the spreading and dissemination of baseless lies and misinformation. But silence is no longer an option. 'The IBA, an organisation that I am no longer associated with and which is no longer recognised by the IOC, have again made baseless accusations that are false and offensive, using them to further their agenda. "This is a matter that concerns not just me but the broader principles of fairness and due process in sport. 'My team is carefully reviewing the situation and will take all necessary legal steps to ensure that my rights and the principles of fair competition are upheld. "Those responsible for these actions must be held accountable, and we will pursue all legal avenues to ensure that justice prevails.' SunSport has reached out to the IOC for comment. 2
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Olympic boxing champ Imane Khelif must undergo genetic sex screening to fight for new governing body
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. Advertisement '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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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. ___ AP boxing: Greg Beacham, The Associated Press
South China Morning Post
3 days 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.
Al Arabiya
4 days 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.
CBS News
4 days ago
- Health
- CBS News
Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif must take new sex test mandated by World Boxing before competing again
Olympic gold-medalist Algerian Imane Khelif will be banned from all World Boxing competitions until the boxer undergoes newly mandated genetic sex testing, World Boxing said. The organization announced Friday that it will introduce mandatory sex testing to determine the eligibility of male and female boxers who want to take part in their competitions. World Boxing said Khelif would be subject to sex testing after concerns arose from the boxer's potential participation in the upcoming Eindhoven Box Cup in June. The organization said it contacted the Algerian Boxing Federation to let it know Khelif will not be allowed to participate in the female category at any World Boxing event until undergoing sex testing. "Imane Khelif may not participate in the female category at the Eindhoven Box Cup, 5-10 June 2025 and any World Boxing event until Imane Khelif undergoes genetic sex screening in accordance with World Boxing's rules and testing procedures," a letter from World Boxing to the Algerian Boxing Federation states. The decision to mandate testing came in part due to the controversy surrounding Khelif after the boxer won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics. Algeria's Imane Khelif reacts after beating China's Yang Liu in the women's 66kg final boxing match during the Olympic Games at Roland-Garros Stadium, in Paris on Aug. 9, 2024. MOHD RASFAN/AFP via Getty Images Khelif came under intense scrutiny over misconceptions about gender, fueled by claims from the International Boxing Association, which has been permanently banned from the Olympics, that both Khelif and another boxer failed unspecified eligibility tests for the women's competition at last year's world championships. Khelif boxed for years on the international stage without any gender issues or questions until the year before the Olympics, when they were disqualified from the IBA's world championships. World Boxing said athletes need to take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) genetic test to determine their sex at birth and their eligibility to compete, the organization said. The test, which can be conducted by nasal/mouth swab, saliva or blood, reveals the presence of the Y chromosome. The results will determine the biological sex. Studies have shown the PCR test to determine sex is highly accurate. A 2023 study published in Genes found sex assessment achieved an accuracy of 72% on non-adults and 97% on adults. "World Boxing respects the dignity of all individuals and its overriding priority is to ensure safety and competitive fairness to all athletes," the organization said in the statement. CBS News reached out to the Algerian Boxing Federation for comment. Mandatory testing procedures will begin July 1, 2025.
