World Boxing has issued an apology to Olympic champion Imane Khelif following a blunder where the Algerian boxer was named in a controversial announcement regarding mandatory sex testing. In a previous statement, the governing body disclosed that Khelif, 26, would need to undergo sex testing to participate in any women’s events they organise or sanction.
The esteemed welterweight gold medallist from last year’s Olympic Games in Paris found her name at the centre of a heated debate after World Boxing suggested she could not compete at the Eindhoven Box Cup this month without completing the required tests. This came despite Khelif being given the green light for the Olympics, despite a prior disqualification from the 2023 World Championships held by the International Boxing Association over gender eligibility questions.
In a dramatic turn of events, Boris van der Vorst, president of World Boxing, has extended a formal written apology to the Algerian Boxing Federation for the specific naming of Khelif, conceding a breach of her privacy. “I am writing to you following the recent World Boxing statement referencing Imane Khelif being excluded from competing in the forthcoming Eindhoven Box Cup 5-10 June 2025,” he confessed in his letter.
“As part of World Boxing’s communications activity around this decision, Imane was identified by name. 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.
“To offer some broader context on this, the statement was intended as part of a wider announcement relating to the planned introduction of mandatory sex testing as part of a new policy on ‘Sex Age and Weight’ that World Boxing is in process of finalising.
“This policy is intended to apply universally to all male and female athletes and is designed to ensure the safety of all participants and deliver a competitive level playing field for all men and women.”
The governing body also confirmed past performances results achieved by boxers will not be under review.
The initial announcement from the governing body – which will oversee boxing at the next Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028 – had included the publication of a letter sent to the Algerian Boxing Federation, explaining the requirement for Khelif to undergo sex screening to continue to be able to compete in this month’s Eindhoven Box Cup or any other women’s event under its authority.
World Boxing said it was introducing the rules 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”. The letter stated that in the event of a challenge by the federation or by World Boxing to Khelif’s sex certification, Khelif would remain ineligible to compete until the dispute was resolved.
The recently unveiled policy states that all athletes aged 18 and over who wish to participate in a World Boxing owned or sanctioned event must undergo a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) genetic test. This will determine their sex at birth and their eligibility to compete.
World Boxing has stated that athletes identified as male at birth, as indicated by the presence of Y chromosome genetic material (the SRY gene), or with a difference of sexual development (DSD) where male androgenisation occurs, will be eligible to compete in the male category.