Imane Khelif will not compete in the upcoming World Championships but Lin Yu-ting, the other boxer at the centre of last year’s Olympic gender-eligibility dispute, intends to.
Khelif has not registered for the tournament in Liverpool next month and Algeria will be sending an alternate welterweight rather than the Olympic gold medallist.
Yu-ting, who won featherweight gold at Paris 2024, however does plan to represent Taiwan at the World Championships, which run from September 4-14.
This week governing body World Boxing announced that participants in the women’s category will have to undergo mandatory sex testing, as part of a new eligibility policy.
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Sky Sports News senior reporter Geraint Hughes explains why World Boxing is introducing mandatory sex testing for all boxers
“Lin Yu-ting just returned from training in South Korea and we are waiting for notification from the Taiwan boxing governing body for sign-up details while preparing for the 2025 Boxing World Championships,” her coach Tseng Tzu-chiang told Reuters.
“She has not considered withdrawing from the competition because of the new gender tests. We will submit all the relevant documents requested by the organisers, as part of normal procedures.”
Khelif and Yu-ting had been disqualified from the 2023 World Championships, organised by the International Boxing Association (IBA), for allegedly failing to meet gender-eligibility criteria. The IBA, boxing’s previous international federation, though was expelled from the Olympic movement for concerns about the body’s officiating and transparency.
Both Khelif and Yu-ting were cleared to compete at the 2024 Olympics by the International Olympic Committee. They won gold medals in the welterweight and featherweight categories respectively.
Khelif has not boxed since the Olympic Games
Under World Boxing’s new rules boxers in the women’s category must take a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) or functional medical equivalent genetic screening test to certify their eligibility to box.
The test can be conducted by nasal/mouth swab, saliva or blood.
Athletes deemed to be male at birth, as evidenced by the presence of Y chromosome genetic material (the SRY gene) or with a difference of sexual development (DSD) where male androgenization occurs, will be eligible to compete in the male category.
The president of World Boxing, Boris van der Vorst said: “World Boxing respects the dignity of all individuals and is keen to ensure it is as inclusive as possible, yet in a combat sport like boxing, we have a duty of care to deliver safety and competitiveness fairness which are the key principles that have guided the development and creation of this policy.”
Khelif celebrates her gold medal victory
Khelif has not actually boxed since the Games last year, though Olympic gold medallists often do take a protracted time away from the ring as they plot their next move and consider additional options in professional as well as Olympic boxing.
The 26-year-old has repeatedly said she was born a woman and in March said she would defend her title at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
On Wednesday she had to deny claims made by her former manager that she has retired from the sport.
“It is based solely on statements made by a person who no longer represents me in any way, and whom I consider to have betrayed my trust and my country with his false and malicious statements,” she wrote on social media.
“I have never announced my retirement from boxing. I remain committed to my sporting career, training regularly and maintaining my physical fitness between Algeria and Qatar in preparation for upcoming events.”