Boxer Imane Khelif has been banned from World Boxing events unless she submits to a genetic sex test. (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Olympic champion Imane Khelif has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against World Boxing’s decision to ban her from its events unless she completes a mandatory genetic sex test.
The Algerian boxer, who won the women’s welterweight gold at last year’s Games in Paris, after a row about her gender, is seeking to overturn a decision by the governing body which would prevent her participation at the World Boxing Championships, which begins in Liverpool on Thursday (4 September).
A request to suspend World Boxing’s decision until the appeal had been heard was dismissed on Monday (1 September).
“The parties are currently exchanging written submissions and, with their agreement, a hearing will be scheduled,” a CAS spokesperson said, Sky Sports reported.
Despite Khelif meeting all the relevant criteria to compete at the Games and the International Olympics Committee (IOC) ruling that her inclusion was “not a transgender issue” because she was born female and competes as a woman, outspoken personalities such as author JK Rowling, Tesla boss Elon Musk and former college swimmer Riley Gaines opposed her participation and accused her of “being born male” and a “cheater”.
Accusations that Khelif was transgender, which she has explicitly denied, swirled after it came to light that she had been disqualified in 2023 after failing an eligibility criteria test by the Russian-led International Boxing Association (IBA).
The IOC questioned the validity of the IBA’s tests and went on to strip it of its world governing body status, citing integrity and governance issues.
After winning the welterweight (66kg) Olympic gold medal, Khelif said: “I am fully qualified to take part in this competition, I am a woman. I was born a woman, I’ve lived as a woman and I’ve competed as a woman.
Imane Khelif. (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
“There’s no doubt that there are enemies of success, and that gives my success a special taste because of these attacks.”
World Boxing introduced mandatory sex testing in May, “to determine the eligibility of male and female athletes [who] want to take part in its competitions”.
The testing would serve as part of a new policy on “sex, age and weight” to “ensure the safety of all participants and deliver a competitive level playing field for men and women”, a spokesperson said.
“Athletes deemed to be male at birth, as evidenced by the presence of Y chromosome genetic material or with a difference of sexual development (DSD) where male androgenisation occurs, will be eligible to compete in the male category,” they went on to say.
“Athletes deemed female at birth, as evidenced by the presence of XX chromosomes or the absence of Y chromosome genetic material or with a DSD where male androgenisation does not occur, will be eligible to compete in the female category.”
Failure to take the test would “render the athlete ineligible to compete and may lead to sanctions against the athlete and/or the athlete’s national federation”.
Khelif has vowed to defend her title at the Olympics in Los Angeles in three years’ time.
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