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.
World Boxing and the Algerian Boxing Federation did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
