World Boxing has issued an apology to the Algerian Boxing Federation after publicly naming boxer Imane Khelif in a statement announcing mandatory gender eligibility testing for athletes. The international federation, which will oversee boxing at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, introduced the policy following controversy surrounding female boxers—including Khelif, a women’s welterweight gold medalist at the Paris Olympics—whose eligibility was questioned last year.
In its initial statement, World Boxing said Khelif would need to undergo testing to compete at the upcoming Eindhoven Box Cup (June 5-10). However, the organization later retracted the reference to her, admitting it was inappropriate.
“The president of World Boxing does not think it was correct to have named a specific athlete,” the federation stated, adding that it had sent a “formal and sincere apology” to Algeria’s boxing chief, acknowledging that the policy should not have been tied to an individual.
Under the new rules, all athletes over 18 must take a PCR test to confirm their biological sex via chromosomal analysis (detecting the SRY gene linked to the Y chromosome). National federations must submit certification of athletes’ sex before competitions.
Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting faced scrutiny after being barred from the 2023 IBA World Championships over eligibility concerns. Their Olympic success reignited debate, drawing comments from figures like Donald Trump and Elon Musk. The IOC cut ties with the IBA, now led by Russia’s Umar Kremlev, citing governance issues, and granted World Boxing provisional recognition.