Imane Khelif, the Paris 2024 women’s welterweight gold medallist, has been barred from making a competitive comeback after World Boxing announced that it will introduce mandatory sex testing for all boxers in its competitions.
Khelif was due to compete at the Eindhoven Box Cup in the Netherlands next week having been at the centre of a gender row before claiming Olympic gold last summer.
World Boxing which will run the boxing competitions in the 2028 Olympics after being granted provisional recognition by the IOC, has said that the Algerian will have to undergo testing before she competes at any of its events.
The governing body, which did not run amateur boxing at the Paris Olympics, said in a statement: “World Boxing will introduce mandatory sex testing, to determine the eligibility of male and female athletes that want to take part in its competitions.
“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 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.
“In light of plans to introduce this policy and the particular circumstances surrounding some boxers that competed at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, 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.
“This decision reflects concerns over the safety and wellbeing of all boxers, including Imane Khelif, and aims to protect the mental and physical health of all participants in light of some of the reactions that have been expressed in relation to the boxer’s potential participation at the Eindhoven Box Cup.”