Topline
World Boxing, the international governing body for amateur boxing, apologized for naming Olympic champion Imane Khelif in an announcement about new mandatory sex testing for athletes, according to multiple reports, amid renewed concerns over Khelif’s gender eligibility debate in last year’s Olympic games.
Khelif won the Olympic gold medal in the women’s 145-pound division last year. (Photo by Mehmet … More
Key Facts
World Boxing President Boris van der Vorst offered “a formal and sincere apology” to the Algerian Boxing Federation in a letter seen by the Associated Press, apologizing for directly mentioning Khelif, an Algerian, in the organization’s announcement of a new sex testing policy.
The president said in the letter “her privacy should have been protected,” the Associated Press reported.
In the announcement, World Boxing said it informed the Algerian Boxing Federation that Khelif would not be allowed to compete in the female category at any boxing event until Khelif completes sex testing.
The apology comes two days after an alleged leaked test that raises questions about Khelif’s biological sex was published by 3 Wire Sports, which claims it is the “only journalistic outlet to have seen” 2022 and 2023 chromosome tests that reportedly showed Khelif had male chromosome markers, and has sparked a widespread response across social media—though no other news outlet has confirmed the report.
The International Olympic Committee, which defended Khelif’s participation in the Paris Olympics, previously disputed the legitimacy of an eligibility test given to Khelif by the International Boxing Association, though it is not clear if that test is one of the two reported on by 3 Wire Sports (Forbes has reached out to the IOC for comment).
World Boxing and the Algerian Boxing Federation did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment.
Chief Critics
Author J.K. Rowling, who has been one of Khelif’s most outspoken critics since the Paris Olympics, reposted 3 Wire Sports’ story on X and called World Boxing’s sex testing requirement a “win for women.” Former collegiate swimmer-turned-right-wing lightning rod Riley Gaines said a cheek swab, one of the ways World Boxing’s sex test can be conducted, is “less invasive than being punched in the face by a man.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2025/06/03/imane-khelif-sex-test-controversy-world-boxing-apologizes-after-naming-olympic-champ/