Olympic Gold Medalist Imane Khelif Fights World Boxing Ban at CAS

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after World Boxing barred her from future events unless she undergoes a genetic sex test.

The policy, introduced earlier this year, requires all athletes over 18 to complete a PCR genetic screening to determine eligibility. World Boxing says the measure is designed to “ensure safety and a level playing field,” though its decision to single out Khelif by name drew criticism and prompted an official apology.

Khelif, 26, won Olympic welterweight gold at the 2024 Paris Games after being cleared by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Her victory, alongside Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting in the featherweight division, sparked global debate after both had previously been declared ineligible by the International Boxing Association (IBA) under unclear circumstances.

The IOC allowed them to compete, and both were assigned female at birth and have always identified as women.

Khelif insists she is fully qualified and intends to defend her title at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Her case comes as World Boxing, recognized by the IOC in 2025, replaces the IBA, which was suspended in 2019 and expelled from the Olympic movement in 2023.