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Imane Khelif, the boxer at the center of the Olympic gender controversy, is skipping a boxing tournament in the Netherlands after World Boxing announced mandatory sex testing for all athletes.
The Algerian boxer, who won gold at the Paris Games last summer amid scrutiny over her eligibility, did not register in time for the event before applications closed on Thursday.
Khelif had intended to return to international competition at the tournament in Hotel Eindhoven before World Boxing announced its new sex testing policy last Friday.
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Gold medalist Imane Khelif of Algeria poses during the medal ceremony at the Olympic Games in Paris on Aug. 9, 2024. (Mohd Rasfan/AFP via Getty Images)
Eindhoven Mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem criticized World Boxing’s decision.
“As far as we are concerned, all athletes are welcome in Eindhoven. Excluding athletes based on controversial ‘gender tests’ certainly does not fit in with that,” Dijsselbloem wrote in a letter addressed to the Dutch Boxing Federation and International Boxing Federation. “We are expressing our disapproval of this decision today and are calling on the organization to admit Imane Khelif after all.”
3 Wire Sports, citing medical documents from chromosome tests given by the International Boxing Association (IBA) before the 2022 and 2023 world championships, reported that Khelif’s DNA showed “markers with male karyotypes.” The International Olympic Committee (IOC) derecognized the IBA amid concerns about the organization’s governance, financial reliance on Russian state energy firm Gazprom and integrity of the bouts.
“Chromosome analysis reveals Male karyotype. No numerical or chromosomal anomalies detected at 450-550 banding resolution,” a screenshot of the document on 3 Wire Sports read. The test was at an accredited lab in New Delhi, called Dr. Lal PathLabs, before the boxing championships, according to 3 Wire Sports.
Imane Khelif of Algeria is seen ahead of the fight against Angela Carini of Italy. (Reuters/Isabel Infantes)
Fox News Digital reached out to World Boxing, the Algerian Olympic Committee and reps for Khelif for comment.
The IOC issued a statement to Fox News Digital on Tuesday morning.
“The IOC has always made it clear that eligibility criteria are the responsibility of the respective International Federation,” the IOC said. “The factors that matter to sports performance are unique to each sport, discipline, and/or event. We await the full details how sex testing will be implemented in a safe, fair and legally enforceable way.”
Khelif was disqualified from the 2023 championships before a gold medal bout over gender eligibility issues.
The boxer was thrust into the global spotlight after qualifying for the Olympics, with the gender controversy coming to light. Khelif defeated Angela Carini in the initial fight during the Paris Olympics, and the IOC defended Khelif. As the controversy grew, Khelif kept on winning and eventually was awarded a gold medal.
But the IBA doubled down, saying Khelif – along with Taiwan’s Lin Yu-thing – were disqualified from the world championships due to “a result of their failure to meet the eligibility criteria for participating in the women’s competition, as set and laid out in the IBA Regulations. This decision, made after a meticulous review, was extremely important and necessary to uphold the level of fairness and utmost integrity of the competition.”
The IBA added that Khelif underwent two tests: one in 2022 and the other in 2023. The IBA said Khelif appealed the decision to the Court for Arbitration of Sport but withdrew during the process, making the “IBA decision legally binding.”
Throughout the controversy, Khelif has maintained that their gender is female. Khelif even filed a lawsuit against detractors and critics on social media.
Before World Boxing made its decision, Khelif was planning on participating in the 2028 Olympics despite President Donald Trump’s “No Men in Women’s Sports” executive order – the 2028 games take place in Los Angeles.
Khelif told ITV that the policies do not apply to the boxer.
Imane Khelif of Algeria and Angela Carini of Italy after their fight. (Reuters/Isabel Infantes)
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“I will give you a straightforward answer: the U.S. president issued a decision related to transgender policies in America. I am not transgender. This does not concern me, and it does not intimidate me. That is my response,” Khelif told the outlet.
“For me, I see myself as a girl, just like any other girl. I was born a girl, raised as a girl, and have lived my entire life as one.”
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos, Jackson Thompson, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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