World Boxing sorry for naming Khelif in sex test debate

World Boxing, the new Olympic boxing authority, has issued an apology to Algeria’s Imane Khelif for publicly naming her in connection with its updated sex testing policy, according to Time magazine.

The organization announced on May 30 that all athletes will now be required to undergo testing to determine their sex assigned at birth. But in unveiling the policy, World Boxing cited Khelif by name—an action it later acknowledged as inappropriate.

“Greater effort should have been made to avoid linking the policy to any individual,” the organization said in a statement.

Khelif, who won gold at the Paris Olympics in 2024, had already been at the center of controversy. In 2023, the Russian-backed International Boxing Association (IBA) disqualified her and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting from the world championships for allegedly failing gender eligibility tests.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) later criticized the IBA’s actions as politically motivated and deemed the test results invalid. Khelif was reinstated for Olympic competition, but scrutiny over her gender persisted.

On June 1, the independent outlet 3 Wire Sports published details of two DNA tests from 2022 and 2023 that reportedly showed Khelif carried XY chromosomes, consistent with a "male" karyotype. The test results have not been independently verified by other media outlets.

Khelif maintains that she was born female and has always lived as a woman.

Under World Boxing’s revised policy, athletes over 18 must undergo a PCR test to verify their chromosomal sex. Those with a Y chromosome or certain conditions linked to elevated testosterone levels will be barred from competing in women’s divisions.

World Boxing said it is making the changes to “ensure the safety of all participants and deliver a competitive level playing field for men and women.”