Olympic Champ Imane Khelif Ordered To Undergo Gender Testing By World Boxing Federation

After finding herself at the centre of an anti-trans gender furore last year, Imane Khelif is now facing public scrutiny once again.

Under new policies by the World Boxing Federation all competitors will face mandatory gender testing.

The news means Khelif will not be allowed to compete until she has conformed to these rules.

World Boxing Federation Orders Imane Khelif to take gender testing

Last year Imane Khelif was the subject of public scrutiny after she was falsely accused by being transgender following a boxing match against Angela Carini.

The Algerian athlete faced a wave of anti-trans hate in the wake of the match which she said “harms human dignity,” and had deeply affected her.

She later went on to file a harassment claim over comments made online, naming both JK Rowling and Elon Musk in the lawsuit.

Khelif is a cisgender woman, and has never identified as transgender or intersex. She has identified as a woman since birth and lived her entire life and boxing career as a woman, despite this she still came under attack.

Despite the controversy she went on to take home the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.

Now the World Boxing Federation has announced it is making changes to their policies in the wake of the controversy which will see all athletes undergo mandatory gender testing if they want to compete.

The organisation have specifically reached out toe Khelif to inform her that she must undergo the testing if she wishes to compete in the Eindhoven Box Cup which will take place in the Netherlands next week.

“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,” they said in a press release.

The new policy will mean that any athlete over 18 wishing to compete in any competition owned or sanctioned by World Boxing must take a PCR or polymerase chain reaction genetic test.

The test is designed to test what sex someone was as at their birth, with the results of these tests determining their eligibility to compete in the male and female boxing categories.

“World Boxing will introduce mandatory sex testing, to determine the eligibility of male and female athletes that want to take part in its competitions” they said in their 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.”

World Boxing will also being organising the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, where Khelif had already planned to pursue her next gold medal victory.

Khelif is expected to be competing in the Eindhoven Box Cup with organisers already promoting her participation stating  “Proud that Imane Khelif is there again to defend her title.”

The Algerian Boxing Federation and Imane Khelif have yet to publicly respond to the news of the updated policy changes.