Imène Khelif Takes Legal Action After Being Barred from Women's Boxing

Algerian Olympic champion Imène Khelif has entered a new legal battle, filing an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against a decision by World Boxing. The international federation imposed mandatory sex tests and barred her from competing in the women's category unless she can prove she is biologically female.

Khelif, who won the welterweight gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, filed the appeal against World Boxing's new policy, which requires compulsory gender verification tests for its tournaments. This includes the inaugural World Boxing Championships in Liverpool, which is scheduled to start next Thursday, according to a report by the British newspaper The Telegraph.

The CAS confirmed that Khelif submitted her appeal on August 5, which included a request for provisional permission to compete in the tournament pending a final decision on the case. However, the court denied her request on Monday. A date for the hearing of the main case has not yet been set.

Rumours of Retirement

The court's announcement came about a week and a half after Khelif denied claims from her former manager, Nasser Yefsah, who had told the French newspaper Nice-Matin that she had "left the world of boxing." Yefsah later clarified that he only meant she had stopped playing with her former club in Nice.

Khelif criticized her former manager's statements in a Facebook post, describing them as "false and malicious." She stated: "I have never announced my retirement from boxing. I remain committed to my sports career, training regularly and maintaining my physical fitness between Algeria and Qatar in preparation for upcoming events. Spreading such rumours is only intended to disrupt and harm my career."

Background of the Controversy

Khelif was preparing to participate in an international tournament in the Netherlands last June when the new World Boxing federation introduced a mandatory gender testing system "to ensure the safety of all participants and fair competition between men and women."

In a statement, the federation said it had informed the Algerian Boxing Federation that Khelif "will not be allowed to participate in the women's category in any of its tournaments until she undergoes a gender verification test." It added that the decision was aimed at protecting her mental and physical health and safeguarding the safety of all participants, especially after the controversial reactions to her potential participation.

Medical and Legal Controversy

The president of the federation, Boris van der Vorst, later apologized for publicly mentioning Khelif's name, emphasizing that her privacy should have been respected. This came after a medical report was allegedly leaked, which claimed she was "biologically male."

This report dates back to a test conducted in 2023, which led to her exclusion from the World Championships organized by the International Boxing Association (IBA). She later withdrew her appeal against that decision. Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-Ting was also excluded from the same tournament. However, both Khelif and Lin were allowed to participate in the Paris 2024 Olympics by a decision of the International Olympic Committee, where they both won gold medals, sparking a wide debate in the sports community.

Khelif, 26, has repeatedly affirmed that she was born a woman and has a long history of competing in women's boxing. Last March, she announced her intention to defend her Olympic title at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.