Imane Khelif Withdraws From Boxing Event After Mandatory Sex Testing Notice

The 26-year-old Olympic gold medalist didn’t register for the event after being named in the new rule announcement.

Published: 6/6/2025, 6:15:37 AM EDT

Imane Khelif Withdraws From Boxing Event After Mandatory Sex Testing Notice — Algeria's Imane Khelif poses after defeating China's Yang Liu at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France on Aug. 9, 2024. (Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo)

Olympic women's welterweight champion Imane Khelif will not compete at the Eindhoven Box Cup this weekend, following the recent introduction of mandatory sex testing by World Boxing, the new international governing body for the sport.

Khelif, 26, who controversially claimed gold for Algeria at the 2024 Paris Olympics, had planned to return to international competition at the Dutch tournament.

However, the boxer did not register before the event’s application window closed on Thursday, according to tournament media director Dirk Renders.

“The decision of Imane’s exclusion is not ours. We regret it,” Renders said.

The withdrawal comes less than a week after World Boxing unveiled a new policy requiring all athletes over the age of 18 to undergo genetic testing to verify their sex at birth before being cleared to compete.

The organization specifically named Khelif in its announcement, stating the boxer would need to be screened before participating in any upcoming events, including the Eindhoven Box Cup. The decision to single out Khelif in the announcement drew criticism, prompting World Boxing to later apologize.

“World Boxing recognizes that it should not have named the person and, as a result, the president of World Boxing has written personally to the president of the Algerian Boxing Federation to offer a formal and sincere apology which acknowledges that greater effort should have been made to avoid linking the policy to any individual,” the organization said in an emailed statement to NTD News.

Genetic Test for All Competitors

World Boxing’s policy mandates a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) genetic test for all competitors to detect the SRY gene, an indicator of the Y chromosome and biological sex.

The policy is intended to “ensure the safety of all participants and deliver a competitive level playing field for men and women,” the organization said in a statement.

If an athlete in the women’s division is found to have male chromosomal material, further evaluations by independent clinical specialists, including genetic screening, hormonal profiling, and anatomical examination, may be required. The policy also establishes an appeals process for athletes.

World Boxing, which includes more than 100 member federations, is poised to oversee Olympic boxing at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

History of Scrutiny

Khelif’s eligibility has been under international scrutiny since the Algerian and another athlete, Taiwanese Lin Yu-ting, were disqualified from the 2023 World Championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA) for allegedly failing unspecified eligibility tests.

Despite the IBA’s disqualification, both boxers were cleared to compete at the Paris Olympics under the International Olympic Committee’s standards.

Khelif, who won the Eindhoven Box Cup in 2024, previously competed at the Tokyo Olympics. Khelif has stated an intention to participate in the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

However, until the Algerian completes the mandatory testing, Khelif will remain ineligible for World Boxing events.

Athletes who do not comply with World Boxing’s policy face exclusion from competition and potential sanctions for themselves or their national federations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report