Olympic champion Khelif excluded: Boxing association introduces gender tests!

Olympic champion Khelif excluded: Boxing association introduces gender tests!

In the area of ​​international boxing sports, the exclusion of the Olympic champion Imane Khelif from the Eindhoven Box Cup provides great excitement. Khelif, the 26-year-old, who won in Paris at the 2024 Olympics in 2024, was not approved by the WORLD Boxing association for participation in the tournament, which takes place from June 5th to June 2025. Dirk Renders, the tournament media director, regrets this exclusion and makes it clear that the decision was not made by the organizers. Rather, it is a direct consequence of the new regulations of the association, which prohibit the participation of Khelif without a genetic gender.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and World Boxing said that Khelif should only take part in further events after completing such a test. This regulation was introduced on June 2, 2025 and is part of a more comprehensive effort to ensure security and the creation of the same competitive conditions for all athletes in boxing, as World Boxing emphasizes. Khelif is not the only athlete affected by these new tests; Lin Yu-Ting from Taiwan was also excluded due to gender tests in the past, which the IOC criticized as an arbitrary decision.

criticism and apology

The controversy around the gender tests and the exclusion of Khelif have triggered a strong public reaction. Mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem von Eindhoven has heavily criticized the exclusion and asked for an invitation for Khelif to the event. In addition, World Boxing has already apologized, especially for naming Khelif's names in a public message about the gender tests. The President of World Boxing, Boris van der Vorst, admitted that Khelif's privacy should have been maintained.

The new regulation that prescribes that all athletes over the age of 18 have to complete a PCR genetic test to determine the birth of birth and the competition authorization is part of a more extensive plan that is implemented by World Boxing after the association's acceptance by the IOC in February 2025. These tests are not only relevant for Khelif, but also affect all athletes who want to take part in future competitions. In these tests, methods such as nasal or oral smear, saliva or blood sampling are used to genetically determine the gender.

effects on the Olympic vision

The IOC took responsibility for the organization of the boxing competitions of the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 after suspending the International Boxing Association (IBA). IOC President Thomas Bach emphasizes that boxes should remain part of the Olympic program, but only with a reliable partner. This topic will significantly influence the future participation and competitiveness of athletes such as Khelif.

Khelif is also the focus of a complex discourse on gender, identity and fairness in sport. Your situation shows how important it is to ensure that the regulations guarantee both the safety of the competitors and respect their rights. The case will undoubtedly be the beginning of intensive debates on the rights and privacy of athletes in international sport.

For further details on the backgrounds and current developments, the article by Tagesspiegel href = "https://www.stuttgarter-nachrichten.de/inhalt.debatte-um-schechter-tests-Boxverband-gefehlen-wegen-welif-zu.1e7fa843-f48ef-81fa-04eb83534764.html" href = "https://www.sportschau.de/boxen/box-verband-fuehr-schechtertests-ein.world-boxing-shellechtert-100.html"> Sportschau to be observed.