Results from boxer Imane Khelif’s sex test at the 2023 World Championships have reportedly emerged, with the medical report allegedly suggesting the controversial Olympic champion is a biological male, according to various outlets.
The alleged results comes less than two days after World Boxing ruled that Khelif would need to undergo sex screening to be eligible for any future appearances in female events.
Khelif won a women’s boxing gold medal representing Algeria boxing at the Paris Games.
Khelif was deemed eligible to compete in France despite having more than a year’s previous knowledge about the the test, with IOC president Thomas Bach previously questioning the test’s legitimacy.
‘Chromosome analysis reveals male karyotype,’ the document, seen by 3 Wire Sports via Telegraph Sport, states.
The results reportedly have a date of being collected of March 17, 2023 – the same year that Khelif was disqualigied by the International Boxing Association (IBA), the former governing body for the sport for allegedly failing gender eligibility tests.
Results have emerged reportedly showing Imane Khelif’s 2023 failed gender eligibility test
Khelif won a gold medal representing Algeria competing in boxing at the Paris Olympiad
The alleged document is marked with the letterhead of Dr Lal PathLabs in New Delhi, a laboratory which is accredited by the American College of Pathologists and certified by the International Organisation for Standardisation.
The report was initially published by the journalist Alan Abrahamson, who first brought reports of Khelif’s alleged failed gender eligibility test to public attention at the Paris Games.
Mail Sport has contacted Khelif’s representatives for comment.
Khelief has previously stated that she planned to defend her gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics in three years time.
World Boxing does have some Olympic authority, as they have been announced to provisionally run testing for the Los Angeles games, with any person over 18 required to undergo PCR testing to determine their sex.
The governing body said the PCR test is a laboratory technique used to detect specific genetic material, with the SRY gene revealing the presence of the Y chromosome, which is an indicator of biological sex. The test can be a be conducted by nasal/mouth swab, saliva or blood.
The governing body said the testing will be part of a new policy on ‘Sex, Age and Weight’, which it claims will a safe and competitive playing field.
World Boxing revealed the contents of a letter sent to the Algerian Boxing Federation, confirming Khelif is unable to compete in the female category at the Eindhoven Box Cup or any World Boxing event under she undergoes sex testing.
‘Imane Khelif may not participate in the female category at the Eindhoven Box Cup, 5-10 June 2025 and any World Boxing event until Imane Khelif undergoes genetic sex screening in accordance with World Boxing’s rules and testing procedures,’ the letter read.
3 Wire Sports published an alleged excerpt of the gender eligibility test Khelif underwent
Then-IOC President Thomas Bach previously questioned the test’s legitimacy in Paris last year
‘In accordance with the World Boxing Statutes, amendments to the Competition Rules are typically made by Congress. However, under special or emergency circumstances, the World Boxing Executive Board holds the authority to make immediate amendments when a rule is deemed no longer functional or when evolving conditions necessitate a change.
‘In May 2025, the Executive Board exercised this authority and adopted new eligibility criteria for participation in sex-specific boxing categories. These new eligibility rules were developed with the express purpose of safeguarding athletes in combat sports, particularly given the physical risks associated with Olympic-style boxing.
‘Please be advised that, per World Boxing policy, “…in the event the athlete’s sex certification is challenged by the athlete’s federation or by World Boxing, the athlete shall be ineligible to compete until the dispute is resolved…’
Khelif was not the only controversial boxer in Paris, as Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting also won a gold medal in women’s boxing despite having been banned by the IBA in 2023.
