Key facts:

• Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has indicated she would undergo sex verification testing if it is the final condition for competing at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
• Khelif won the women’s welterweight gold medal at Paris 2024 and has consistently competed in women’s divisions throughout her international career.
• She was disqualified from the 2023 World Championships alongside Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting after the International Boxing Association cited alleged failures in eligibility testing procedures.
• The International Boxing Association later lost international standing after the International Olympic Committee removed official recognition amid governance and integrity concerns.
• World Boxing received provisional Olympic recognition in February 2025 and introduced mandatory genetic testing protocols designed to establish sex at birth for eligibility purposes.
• Khelif lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in August, contesting the legality and proportionality of compulsory testing measures.
• The proceedings remain ongoing, with a ruling expected to carry significant implications for Olympic boxing before Los Angeles 2028.

A willingness to test, but not necessarily to accept the current rules

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has made her position clear on the possibility of undergoing sex verification testing before the next Olympic cycle. According to remarks she has given in a recent interview, she would be willing to submit to any testing framework administered by the Olympic authorities if compliance proves to be the final barrier to participation at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. The statement is significant because it places the focus on eligibility, transparency and the practical conditions of competition rather than on the political storm that has surrounded her career.

Khelif, the reigning women’s welterweight Olympic champion, has been at the centre of a prolonged and increasingly politicised debate about gender eligibility in elite boxing. Her willingness to be tested does not amount to an acceptance of every rule that has been proposed. It is instead a signal that she is prepared to meet formal requirements set by recognised Olympic authorities, provided those requirements are lawful, fair and applied without targeting individual athletes. She has also stressed the importance of safeguarding women’s sport while warning against collateral harm inflicted on female athletes caught in regulatory crossfire.

That distinction matters. Khelif has consistently competed within women’s divisions and has rejected attempts to recast her personal circumstances as political symbolism. She has appealed for privacy, dignity and separation from ideological disputes that have dominated public discourse. Her case has become a flashpoint in a wider conversation about sex testing, medical privacy, fairness and governance in sport.

From Tiaret to the Olympic podium

Khelif was born in 1999 in Tiaret, Algeria, and rose through the amateur boxing ranks to become one of the most recognisable athletes from her country. She competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and later won a silver medal at the 2022 World Championships. By the time the Paris 2024 Olympic Games arrived, she was already an established international fighter with years of experience in women’s competition.

Her Paris campaign became one of the most discussed stories of the Games. In her opening bout, she faced Italy’s Angela Carini, who withdrew after only 46 seconds. The moment ignited a global debate that extended far beyond boxing. Khelif continued through the draw and eventually won the welterweight gold medal, defeating China’s Yang Liu in the final. The victory made her an Olympic champion and cemented her place in Algerian sporting history.

Yet the achievement was overshadowed by an eligibility controversy that had been building for more than a year. The scrutiny intensified after her disqualification from the 2023 World Championships alongside Taiwanese fighter Lin Yu-ting. The International Boxing Association cited alleged failures in eligibility testing procedures. The disqualification became a defining moment in the dispute over who should govern boxing and how sex eligibility should be determined.

The collapse of the old governing order

The International Boxing Association lost international standing shortly after the 2023 World Championships, following a decision by the International Olympic Committee to remove official recognition amid governance and integrity concerns. That decision changed the landscape of Olympic boxing. With the IBA no longer recognised by the IOC, the Paris 2024 boxing competition was run under Olympic eligibility criteria. Khelif was cleared to compete and proceeded to gold without restriction.

The governance vacuum did not end the debate. In February 2025, World Boxing received provisional Olympic recognition. The new body moved quickly to introduce mandatory genetic testing protocols designed to establish sex at birth for eligibility purposes. The rules were presented as a way to create clear, objective standards for future competition. But they immediately attracted criticism from athletes, lawyers and human rights advocates who questioned whether compulsory testing was necessary, proportionate or compatible with privacy and anti-discrimination principles.

Initial communications from World Boxing referenced Khelif by name. The reference prompted widespread criticism, and the organisation issued a formal apology. The episode illustrated how difficult it has become to separate eligibility policy from public speculation about individual athletes. It also raised questions about how governing bodies communicate about sensitive medical and personal information.

A legal challenge with high stakes

Khelif responded with legal action. In August, she lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, contesting the legality and proportionality of compulsory testing measures. The appeal argues that mandatory genetic testing may violate athlete rights and that the rules should not be applied in a way that singles out competitors or exposes them to unnecessary scrutiny. The proceedings remain ongoing, and a ruling is expected to carry significant implications for Olympic boxing ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics.

The case is about more than one boxer’s eligibility. It touches on the limits of sports governance, the use of medical data, the history of sex testing in women’s sport and the balance between fairness and inclusion. The Court of Arbitration for Sport has previously dealt with cases involving hyperandrogenism, testosterone limits and eligibility rules. Those decisions have shaped how federations approach female categories. Khelif’s appeal could add another important chapter to that legal history.

Supporters of strict testing argue that sport needs clear and consistent rules to protect the integrity of women’s competition. Critics argue that blanket genetic testing can be invasive, inconsistent and harmful, especially when athletes have competed for years under previous rules and when the science of sex differences is complex. Khelif’s public position reflects that tension. She has said she will accept testing if it is required by Olympic authorities, but she is simultaneously challenging the current mandatory framework. The two positions are not contradictory. A willingness to comply with legitimate rules does not mean accepting rules that are unlawful or disproportionate.

Political pressure and online hostility

The controversy gained further traction after remarks from Donald Trump during the signing of an executive order barring transgender women from female sporting categories. Public references to Khelif during that period intensified global attention and amplified online hostility. The political framing of her case turned a complex eligibility dispute into a broader cultural argument. Khelif has resisted that framing. She has asked for privacy and dignity and has warned against the collateral damage inflicted on female athletes who become symbols in disputes they did not create.

The online abuse directed at Khelif and other athletes has been widely condemned. It has also highlighted how quickly eligibility debates can become personalised attacks. Governing bodies, event organisers and platforms face growing pressure to protect athletes from harassment while still maintaining transparent and defensible rules. The balance is difficult, particularly when political leaders and media figures amplify the discussion.

What the 2028 pathway could look like

The next Olympic Games are set for Los Angeles in 2028. Boxing’s place on the programme and the eligibility rules for competition will depend on decisions made in the coming months and years. World Boxing must satisfy the International Olympic Committee on governance, integrity and financial transparency. Its testing protocols will be part of that assessment. If Khelif’s appeal succeeds, the rules may be revised or struck down. If it fails, athletes seeking to compete in Los Angeles may have to comply with mandatory testing.

Khelif has indicated she would undergo sex verification testing if that is the final step required. That statement may help her path to 2028, but it does not resolve the legal questions surrounding the current rules. The Court of Arbitration for Sport will examine whether compulsory testing is lawful, whether it is proportionate and whether it respects athletes’ rights. The outcome could influence not only boxing but other Olympic sports that are wrestling with similar questions about sex eligibility and female categories.

The broader context is a long and contested history. Sex verification in sport has evolved from physical examinations to chromosome tests to testosterone limits and now to genetic testing. Each method has been criticised for inaccuracy, invasiveness or discriminatory impact. Some athletes have fought such rules in court and won. Others have withdrawn from competition or faced years of uncertainty. Khelif’s case is the latest iteration of a debate that has never been fully settled.

For now, Khelif remains an Olympic champion and a central figure in one of the most sensitive debates in sport. Her willingness to be tested, her legal challenge and her calls for dignity and privacy are all part of the same effort to define what fair competition should look like. The proceedings at the Court of Arbitration for Sport continue. A ruling is expected to shape the eligibility framework for Olympic boxing before the 2028 Los Angeles Games, and its impact is likely to be felt far beyond the ring.

Key timeline

• 1999: Imane Khelif is born in Tiaret, Algeria.
• 2021: She competes at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
• 2022: She wins a silver medal at the World Championships.
• 2023: She is disqualified from the World Championships alongside Lin Yu-ting; the International Boxing Association cites eligibility testing failures.
• 2023: The International Olympic Committee removes recognition from the International Boxing Association.
• 2024: Khelif wins women’s welterweight gold at the Paris Olympic Games under Olympic eligibility criteria.
• February 2025: World Boxing receives provisional Olympic recognition and later introduces mandatory genetic testing protocols.
• August 2025: Khelif lodges an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport over compulsory testing.
• 2028: The Los Angeles Olympic Games are scheduled; a CAS ruling is expected to shape eligibility rules.

The legal proceedings remain ongoing, and a ruling is expected to carry significant implications for Olympic boxing ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics.

Source: MSN News