In an effort to defend her 2024 Olympic boxing gold medal, Imane Khelif said she would undergo sex testing before the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
Khelif, 26, who identifies as female on official documents and was assigned female at birth, was banned along with Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting from the 2023 World Championships by the International Boxing Association. The IBA said Khelif, who is from Algeria, had failed a test which showed that she had “competitive advantages over other female competitors.”
Ahead of the World Championships in September, World Boxing instituted mandatory sex testing to provide a “fair and level playing field” and determine eligibility for men’s and women’s categories. Khelif did not take part in the event.
Khelif filed an appeal against World Boxing’s decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport but a hearing has yet to occur.
“Of course, I would accept doing anything I’m required to do to participate in competitions,” Khelif told CNN when asked about her potential participation in the 2028 Olympics. “They should protect women, but they need to pay attention that while protecting women, they shouldn’t hurt other women.”
Khelif and Lin were able to compete in the Paris Olympic Games in 2024 after the International Olympic Committee invalidated the IBA’s authority to run boxing at the Olympics. World Boxing was created in 2025 and given authority to run the sport at future Olympics on a provisional basis.
President Donald Trump, who said in August that “the U.S. will not let men steal trophies from women at the 2028 Olympics,” also said in a January speech that Khelif was a “young gentleman who transitioned.”
“I’m not transgender. I’m a woman,” Khelif said. “I want to live my life. Please do not exploit me in your political agendas.
“What happened during the Olympics caused me psychological trauma, for me, and for my family. But I am still here. I am still fighting. I am still boxing.”
–Field Level Media
