World Boxing Apologizes to Imane Khelif After Announcing New Sex-Testing Policy

Amid the controversy sparked by critics accusing her of being a man, Khelif ultimately took home the gold medal in the women’s welterweight category.

Khelif wasn’t the only boxer to face accusations of competing with the wrong group: Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, who ultimately won gold in the women’s featherweight category, also had her gender questioned by figures including Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling.

The International Boxing Association, which had been suspended from overseeing the sport due to concerns about governance and integrity, only made matters more complicated by holding a “chaotic” press conference mid-tournament that left onlookers with more questions than answers—and wondering if boxing would even be a part of future Olympics, which will be hosted by Los Angeles in 2028.

Since then, however, World Boxing, a new governing body formed in response to the concerns surrounding the IBA, was provisionally approved to oversee the sport’s inclusion in the Olympics. And among its first priorities, World Boxing cofounder and president Boris van der Vorst said earlier this year, would be to come up with a policy to settle the highly contentious matter of gender eligibility.

Already, it’s apologizing.

After a May 30 announcement of mandatory sex testing for any boxer who wishes to compete officially in any of the matches it organizes, World Boxing issued a follow-up statement to apologize for naming Khelif, acknowledging that “greater effort should have been made to avoid linking the policy to any individual.”

The initial announcement, outlining a new “Sex, Age and Weight” policy designed “to ensure the safety of all participants and deliver a competitive level playing field for men and women,” said that Khelif would be barred from competing in the female category of the Eindhoven Box Cup, which runs from June 5 to June 10, as well as any other World Boxing event until she undergoes mandatory sex testing.
The wider policy is stated to begin July 1, but World Boxing said that it has the authority to make any athlete whose sex certification is “challenged” by the athlete’s federation or World Boxing “ineligible to compete until the dispute is resolved.”

The announcement said its decision to ban Khelif, who hasn’t officially competed in the ring since Paris, from fighting until she undergoes testing “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.” It added that the decision “is not deemed to in any way pre-judge the outcome of any testing.”

Here’s what to know.

How World Boxing plans to test athletes’ sex

Under its new policy, all athletes over the age of 18 who wish to compete in a World Boxing event will need to undergo a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) genetic test to assess their eligibility. The test, according to World Boxing, can be conducted via nasal or mouth swab, saliva, or blood.

A PCR test can be used to determine one’s sex—specifically, the presence of Y chromosome genetic material. The Y chromosome is generally present in those assigned male at birth and generally absent in those assigned female, though intersex people can have a mixture of X and Y sex chromosomes that do not fall under the XY or XX binary, sometimes referred to as a difference of sexual development (DSD).

An athlete will be deemed eligible for the male category based on the presence of Y chromosome genetic material or a DSD in which male androgenization—defined by the American Psychological Association as “the masculinizing effect of androgens, especially testosterone, on body tissues and organs.” If only a pair of XX chromosomes are found, or a DSD in which androgenization does not occur, the athlete will be considered eligible to compete in the female category.

National federations will be responsible for testing and confirming the sex of their athletes, and failure to provide certification of the PCR test or provision of a false certification will result in ineligibility and potential sanctions.

“Support will be offered to any boxers that provide an adverse test result,” the policy announcement adds, noting that it will also include an appeals process. For an athlete who wants to compete in the female category but is found to have Y chromosome genetic material or a disqualifying DSD, “the initial screenings will be referred to independent clinical specialists for genetic screening, hormonal profiles, anatomical examination or other valuation of endocrine profiles by medical specialists.”

While supporters of greater sex-eligibility testing in sports often cite safety as a concern, especially in contact sports like boxing—males tend to have greater muscle mass and arm length than females—some medical experts have argued that attempting to regulate sports based on biological tests for sex differences, which are the basis for most but not all people’s identified gender, can be problematic and contribute to stigma and discrimination.

What to know about Imane Khelif

Van der Vorst contacted the Algerian Boxing Federation directly to apologize for naming Khelif in the policy announcement, which has only put further scrutiny on the Algerian boxer, who has identified and competed as a woman her whole life.

“I am a woman like any other woman. I was born a woman, I lived as a woman and I competed as a woman,” Khelif said in Paris.

“I am writing to you all personally to offer a formal and sincere apology for this and acknowledge that her privacy should have been protected,” Vorst wrote in a letter seen by the Associated Press, adding that by “reaching out to you personally we show our true respect to you and your athletes.”