The World Boxing Council (WBC) has banned Algerian Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif from competing until she takes a gender test amid right-wing accusations that she is transgender. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognizes WBC as the global governing body of boxing, meaning that Khelif needs its approval in order to possibly participate in the 2028 Olympic Games.

The claims that Khelif was born biologically male were initially started by the International Boxing Association (IBA), an organization that previously promoted Imane Khelif prior to 2023. That year, the IOC stopped recognizing the IBA as the governing body of worldwide boxing — the IOC oversaw the boxing competition in the 2024 Paris Olympic Summer Games.

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During the Paris Olympics, Khelif won Algeria the gold medal for Women’s heavyweight boxing by defeating Chinese competitor Yang Liu — all five judges scored the match in Khelif’s favor.

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However, during the games, IBA president Umar Kremlev told a Russian state news agency that Khelif had been found to have “XY chromosomes” and was one of two Olympic boxers who had “pretended to be women” and “tried to deceive their colleagues.” Neither Kremlev nor the IBA specified what tests led them to this conclusion, and even if Kremlev’s claims are true, an XY chromosome wouldn’t automatically make Khelif “male,” as some women with rare genetic conditions also have XY chromosomes.

An IOC spokesperson refuted the IBA’s claims and said that Khelif had complied with the rules of eligibility to compete in 2024, adding, “This is not a transgender issue. I should make this absolutely clear.” Even Khelif’s father showed her birth certificate to Reuters to get people to stop saying she was assigned male at birth.

Nevertheless, many conservative politicians in the U.S. took Kremlev’s claims as facts, including Utah State Gov. Spencer Cox (R) and the current U.S. president; others claimed that Khelif should be disqualified and her victories erased. Khelif said these claims — and the resulting widespread online harassment — caused immense pain and harm to her career. She filed legal complaints for harassment against many notorious transphobes, including J.K. Rowling, who made numerous tweets harassing her, and Elon Musk in his official capacity as the owner of X.

On Friday, World Boxing released a statement declaring it is in the “final stages” of implementing “mandatory sex testing” to determine the eligibility of all fighters in competitions sanctioned by World Boxing. In compliance with its new policies, the organization had sent a letter to Algeria’s Boxing Association, informing them that Khelif will be barred from competing in any fights arranged by the organization until Khelif submits to a test determining her biological sex.

Starting with next week’s Eindhoven Cup in the Netherlands. World Boxing states these tests are necessary to ensure the “mental and physical health of all participants in light of some of the reactions that have been expressed in relation of the boxer’s potential participation in the Eindhoven Cup.”

The organization did not comment as to whether these measures were in response to the accusations that Khelif is transgender or as to whether or not Khelif would be able to take a test and have the results back by June 5.

World Boxing’s policies state that if a fighter’s sex is challenged in a match sanctioned by World Boxing, then the boxer will be ineligible until the dispute is resolved.

“This decision is designed solely to ensure the health and safety of all participants in World Boxing competitions (including Imane Khelif) and is not deemed in any way to pre-judge the outcome of any testing that will be introduced as part of the new policy on sex, age and weight,” The World Boxing Committee said in a statement. 

Khelif, who hasn’t competed since the Paris Olympics, has expressed her intent to continue boxing and expresses an interest in making a return for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

“I am a woman. I was born a woman and was raised a woman, and I compete as a woman,” she states after her gold medal win.

“They hate me, and I don’t know why. I sent them a message with this gold medal, and I say my dignity has been restored and my honor is above anything else.” Khelif comments expressing anger towards the IBA, an organization that has previously respected her participation in the sport.

Pro-trans sports advocates have said that the right-wing movement to ban trans female athletes from women’s sports will result in cisgender female athletes being forced to undergo invasive testing to prove their gender, hurting cis athletes and discouraging other girls and women from participating at all.

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