Imane Khelif 'told to return gold medal' as bombshell new details revealed

Imane Khelif has been told to return her Paris Olympic gold medal by the president of the boxing authority that was stripped of running the event in 2024.

The Algerian boxer won the gold medal in the women's 66kg event at the Paris Games by beating Yang Liu in the final.

But her victory brought about intense debate that lingers to this day after the International Boxing Association's (IBA) revealed she had failed what it labels gender eligibility tests at the previous World Championships.

Until now the IBA had not revealed details of the procedure undertaken after the tests but in a new interview this week, the IBA said Khelif was given a 21-day period to appeal her test results that showed that she had XY chromosomes, with the Court of Arbitration for Sport [CAS].

But she did not appeal and was disqualified from the World Championships, the IBA has said.

The 26-year-old returned to the ring at the Paris Olympics and won the gold as she passed the eligibility criteria set by the International Olympic Committee [IOC], which was based off of what an athlete's passport said regarding their sex. The IOC took over running boxing at the 2024 Olympics due to concerns it had with the integrity of the IBA.

Now, almost a year after the Paris Olympics, President of the IBA, Umar Kremlev has asked Khelif to return her boxing gold medal.

Imane Khelif has come under fire [Photo by Aytac Unal/Anadolu via Getty Images]

What has the IBA said about Imane Khelif?

Kremlev revealed in an interview with Mail Sport that Khelif was disqualified from IBA sanctioned events after two rounds of testing first in 2022, then again in 2023, found she reportedly possessed the male XY chromosome.

Speaking about Khelif and her eligibility, Kremlev said: "The IOC is not fighting for the fairness in sport. The IOC is giving away medals based on their political interests.

"Imane Khelif should be made to return the Olympic medal from Paris."

War of words between IBA and IOC

The IBA and IOC have been at loggerheads even before the Khelif controversy. In 2019, the IOC suspended its recognition from IBA due to governance problems that also included financial mismanagement and irregularities in refereeing.

They once again suspended their recognition in June 2023, after recommendations from its executive board.

The IOC allowed Khelif to participate in the competition and they criticised IBA's disqualification as 'sudden and arbitrary'.

Kremlev criticised the former IOC President Thomas Bach's leadership in the years since the suspension of the IBA, saying: "Thomas Bach has always put politics to the podium, not the athletes who should be there in fact. And that's why a lot of sponsors have refused working the IOC further, because they are violating sports principles.

"Thomas Bach is leaving his position and running away like a rat."

Khelif celebrating her Olympic gold medal (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

Boxing rule changes and gender tests latest

World Boxing is currently the organisation that the IOC recognise as the governing body of the sport.

Earlier this month, World Boxing announced the introduction of mandatory testing to prove eligibility of male and female athletes.

As per the new rules, Khelif would have to first take the test and prove her gender to be biologically female before competing in women's boxing event.

The Algerian boxer was expected to make her return to ring in the Eindhoven Box Cup, but she did not participate in the event and has not revealed the reason behind that as well.