- Imane Khelif was named when World Boxing announced new sex testing rules
- The Algerian Boxing Federation are furious that their athlete was named
- This comes after a leaked medical report claimed Khelif is ‘biologically male’
The Algerian Boxing Federation have accused World Boxing of ‘violating’ Olympic champion Imane Khelif’s rights.
Khelif was at the centre of a bitter storm during last year’s Olympics as the 25-year-old and Taiwan‘s Lin Yu-ting‘s were allowed to compete despite both being disqualified from the previous year’s World Championships for allegedly failing gender eligibility tests while the sport was run by the International Boxing Association (IBA).
World Boxing, who are now the governing body for the sport, announced on Friday that it will introduce mandatory sex testing for male and female boxers who want to take part in competitions, and specifically referenced Khelif.
Algerian boxing officials have reacted furiously to Khelif being named, claiming it has ‘created psychological damage to our athlete’.
The letter written by the Algerian Federation President added that the ‘consequences are immeasurable’ and that Khelif had not been given ‘the right to defend herself’.
Their statement also claimed World Boxing did not ‘hear from the doctors specialising in endocrinology who follow her’.
Imane Khelif was named when World Boxing announced their new sex testing rules last week
Algerian boxing bosses have hit out at World Boxing for ‘violating’ Khelif’s rights, claiming the ‘consequences are immeasurable’
Khelif won gold at last year’s Olympics amid a bitter gender storm during the Games
Algerian Boxing’s outrage comes after World Boxing president Boris van der Worst offered an apology for Khelif being specifically named, admitting ‘her privacy should have been respected’.
‘I am writing to you following the recent World Boxing statement referencing Imane Khelif being excluded from competing in the forthcoming Eindhoven Box Cup 5-10 June 2025,’ the letter read.
‘As part of World Boxing’s communications activity around this decision, Imane was identified by name. I am writing to you all personally to offer a formal and sincere apology for this and acknowledge that her privacy should have been protected.
‘To offer some broader context on this, the statement was intended as part of a wider announcement relating to the planned introduction of mandatory sex testing as part of a new policy on “Sex Age and Weight” that World Boxing is in process of finalising.
‘This policy is intended to apply universally to all male and female athletes and is designed to ensure the safety of all participants and deliver a competitive level playing field for all men and women.’
The governing body also confirmed past performances results achieved by boxers will not be under review. This comes amid a call from JK Rowling to strip Khelif of her Olympic gold medal.
The publication of the new rules and subsequent apology has all come in the same week that a ‘leaked’ medical report was published which claimed to have found Imane Khelif to be ‘biologically male’ in 2023.
The alleged medical test on Khelif at the 2023 World Championships said that ‘chromosome analysis reveals male karotype’ – an XY chromosome pair.
3 Wire Sports published an alleged excerpt of the gender eligibility test Khelif underwent which claims Khelif is ‘biologically male’
JK Rowling, who has been vocal on Khelif’s situation in the past, claimed Khelif should be stripped of Olympic gold
Khelif was disqualified from the 2023 World Championships for allegedly failing a gender eligibility test, but has always insisted she is a female
Khelif always insisted on being female and the IOC allowed athletes to compete at the Parisian Games based on the sex stated on their passport.
Now the IOC has broken its silence on the ‘leaked’ report which declares Khelif as having a ‘male karotype,’ as reportedly seen by 3 Wire Sports.
‘The IOC has always made it clear that eligibility criteria are the responsibility of the respective International Federation,’ a spokesperson told Mail Sport.
‘The factors that matter to sports performance are unique to each sport, discipline, and/or event.
‘We await the full details of how sex testing will be implemented in a safe, fair, and legally enforceable way.’
