Imane Khelif has essentially ‘gone missing’ and released no statement after being forced to withdraw from the Eindhoven Box Cup.
Khelif, 26, an Olympic gold medallist, saw her Paris 2024 triumph marred by controversy surrounding her gender.
This came after she had been banned from competing at the 2023 World Championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA) for allegedly failing gender eligibility tests, as reported by BBC Sport.
But at the Paris Games, boxing was governed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which based gender on one’s passport. Khelif has never publicly stated that she is anything other than female.
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Last week, World Boxing stated that athletes such as Khelif will have to undergo mandatory sex testing before competing at tournaments which they govern, including the Eindhoven Box Cup.
They said that "all athletes over the age of 18" who wish to participate in competitions it owns or sanctions will "need to undergo a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) genetic test to determine their sex at birth and their eligibility to compete".
A statement read: “World Boxing has written to the Algerian Boxing Federation to inform it that Imane Khelif will not be allowed to participate in the female category at the Eindhoven Box Cup or any World Boxing event until Imane Khelif undergoes sex testing.
"This decision reflects concerns over the safety and well-being of all boxers, including Imane Khelif, and aims to protect the mental and physical health of all participants in light of some of the reactions that have been expressed in relation to the boxer's potential participation at the Eindhoven Box Cup."
This came to light after 3 Wire Sports and Olympics reporter Alan Abrahamson published a 'leaked' document, claimed to be results from a 2023 genetic screening test conducted on the Algerian.
The tests allegedly show that there was an 'abnormal result' revealing a 'male karyotype'.
The IOC, however, had previously dismissed the test as 'not legitimate'.
Khelif will miss the Eindhoven event this weekend, something director Dirk Renders discussed via News.com.
Renders said: “The decision of Imane’s exclusion is not ours. We regret it.”
Mayor of Eindhoven Joren Dijsselbloem has also slammed World Boxing’s decision to implement mandatory sex testing.
In a letter, he said: “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.
“We are expressing our disapproval of this decision today and are calling on the organisation to admit Imane Khelif after all.”
Luke Davies