Algerian gold medalist Imane Khelif made a curious decision this week.
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 Olympic champion did not register in time for the event before applications closed on Thursday. What might seem like an oversight will most certainly bring upon more critics who are sure she is transgender.
“The decision of Imane’s exclusion is not ours. We regret it,” tournament media director Dirk Renders told The Associated Press.
The other side of the story being, if mandatory sex testing hadn’t been introduced this week, he was going to punch more women in public. pic.twitter.com/fc9z8bekC9
— Sall Grover (@salltweets) June 6, 2025
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.
World Boxing specifically mentioned Imane Khelif, saying she’d have to be screened to be approved to fight at any upcoming events, including the Eindhoven Box Cup.
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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.”
In the meantime, calls for the International Olympic Committee to rescind Imane Khelif’s women’s boxing title have reignited after a leaked lab record reportedly found that she has male chromosomes.
Test Results Seem to Confirm The Gender of Imane Khelif
Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif has her name trending after a report from 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.”
“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.
Khelif was disqualified from the 2023 championships before a gold medal bout over gender eligibility issues.
After qualifying for the Olympics, the boxer was thrust into the global spotlight, with the gender controversy coming to light.
Khelif defeated Angela Carini in the initial fight during the Paris Olympics, and all hell broke loose.
As the controversy grew, Khelif kept winning and was eventually awarded a gold medal.
The IOC stood by her side the entire time.
