Algerian Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif, who made her opponent burst into tears after a stinging punch from her at the last Olympics, is at the centre of another storm following the emergence of a leaked medical report allegedly confirming that she is biologically male.
The revelation, reported by multiple outlets, comes just days after World Boxing mandated sex testing for the athlete ahead of future competitions.
The document, reportedly dated March 17, 2023, and bearing the letterhead of Dr Lal PathLabs in New Delhi, is said to confirm the presence of a male karyotype—chromosomal evidence typically associated with biological males.
The leak follows Khelif’s disqualification by the IBA last year for allegedly failing gender eligibility tests.
Despite the controversy, Khelif competed at the Paris Olympics, where she won gold in the women’s boxing category, sparking criticism from sporting officials and the public.
IOC President Thomas Bach had previously questioned the legitimacy of the testing process used to clear Khelif for the Games.
Now, World Boxing has enforced a stricter policy requiring genetic sex screening for athletes competing in sex-specific categories.
The body confirmed in a letter to the Algerian Boxing Federation that Khelif will not be eligible to compete at the Eindhoven Box Cup (June 5–10, 2025) or any other sanctioned event unless she undergoes and passes the genetic screening.
The governing body clarified that the PCR-based test—used to detect the SRY gene found on the Y chromosome—can determine biological sex through saliva, blood, or swab samples.
The policy, implemented in May 2025, was introduced to protect the integrity and safety of combat sports.
Khelif, who had expressed plans to defend her gold medal at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, has not yet publicly responded to the leaked report. Mail Sport has reached out to her team for comment.
This latest development places Khelif among a growing list of athletes facing scrutiny over gender eligibility in elite women’s sports.
Another boxer, Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan, who also won gold in Paris, had been banned by the IBA in 2023, adding further fuel to the controversy.
