Olympian Imane Khelif Is Fighting World Boxing Federation’s New Transgender Policy
The Algerian boxer who took gold at the 2024 Paris Games has requested that she be allowed to participate in WBC events without undergoing mandatory sex testing.

Olympic boxer Imane Khelif is filing a legal appeal against a recent ruling by the World Boxing Commission that requires fighters to take a test to determine their gender before competing, saying that she was denied from participating in the organization’s sanctioned events.
The Algerian gold-medal pugilist filed her appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland, seeking to overturn a recent decision by World Boxing for not being allowed to participate in the Eindhoven Box Cup in the Netherlands earlier this summer, as well as the World Boxing Championships to be held at Liverpool, England, later this month.
Ms. Khelif has requested of the CAS that she be allowed to participate in the upcoming competition without the mandatory testing.
“The appeal … seeks to overturn a decision by World Boxing that Imane Khelif ‘was not allowed to participate in the Box Cup in Eindhoven, nor in any World Boxing event until she had undergone genetic sex testing,’” a statement by CAS officials reads. It said that the fighter’s request, which was made in early August, had been dismissed on Monday until the case is heard by the court.
“The Parties are currently exchanging written submissions and with their agreement, a hearing will be scheduled,” the statement says.
The recently enacted eligibility policy introduces mandatory sex testing for all male and female fighters who wish to compete in a number of events under the commission’s purview, including the Olympic Games.
“This policy is designed to deliver a level playing field for men and women which ensures the safety of all participants, based on their sex as a key determinant in delivering competitive fairness and protecting the health and welfare of boxers,” an executive summary of the “Sex Eligibility Policy” says.
“To be eligible for the men’s category, a competitor must be male at birth. To be eligible for the women’s category, a competitor must be female at birth,” the policy summary explains. “To ensure this policy is implemented, World Boxing will introduce mandatory sex testing to determine the eligibility of female and male athletes that want to take part in its competitions.”
The “Sex Eligibility Policy” comes after Khelif battered her female opponents at the Paris Games in 2024. It was suspected she had transitioned to female from male. One of the matches ended after 46 seconds, with the athlete’s opponent quitting in tears.

