Imane Khelif’s boxing career has been put on hold — at least temporarily — after a shocking World Boxing announcement on Friday.
The federation is set to set to introduce mandatory sex testing for its fighters as part of a new policy.
Khelif, set to defend her Olympic gold beginning at the Eindhoven Box Cup in The Netherlands in June, was called out specifically by World Boxing.
Algeria’s Imane Khelif (Blue) reacts after beating Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng in the women’s 66kg semi-final boxing match during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games AFP via Getty Images
“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,” World Boxing wrote in its release.
The 26-year-old Algerian welterweight was at the center of Olympic controversy regarding her gender at the Paris Games, beginning when her first-round opponent, Italy’s Angela Carini, quit after 46 seconds.
Carini eventually backtracked and apologized for causing the uproar.
Algeria’s Imane Khelif, left, fights China’s Yang Liu in their women’s 66 kg final boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. APDespite reportedly having failed International Boxing Association testing, Olympic organizers defended her right to compete as a woman as she pounded opponents en route to winning gold.
None of that seemingly matters now, as Khelif’s participation going forward will require gender testing.
Going forward, athletes over 18 will be required to undergo polymerase chain reaction genetic testing — a laboratory technique use to detect specific genetic material — to determine their sex at birth and their eligibility to compete, according to the federation.
