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Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
IOC chief reveals plans for transgender policy change and pledges to 'protect the female category' - as Imane Khelif controversy rumbles on
The president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has suggested a new transgender policy will be implemented to 'protect the female category'. Kirsty Coventry revealed that a working group was being set up to determine a new policy amid raging controversy over transgender boxers taking part in last year's Olympics. Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting were at the centre of a bitter storm during last year's Games after they claimed gold medals despite allegations they were biologically male. The IOC has been strongly criticised for failing to have a clear policy on transgender and DSD (Differences of Sexual Development) athletes. The organisation has previously left individual bodies in charge of regulations rather than taking a universal approach. Both Khelif and Yu-ting had been disqualified from the 2023 World Championships run by the International Boxing Association (IBA), the former governing body for the sport. World Boxing, who are now the governing body for the sport, announced last month that it will introduce mandatory sex testing for male and female boxers who want to take part in competitions, naming Khelif as a fighter who would need to undergo testing before taking part in this month's Eindhoven Box Cup. Coventry is the first woman to hold the IOC presidency and said its members want to develop a policy 'to come up with cohesion'. At her first news conference as president, the 41-year-old said: 'There was a lot of discussion and there was overwhelming support — not just among the members present but those of us who were able to share with us before they left — that we should protect the female category. 'And with that we are setting up a working group made up of experts and international federations. It was agreed by the members that the IOC should take a leading role in this. 'And that we should be the ones to bring together the experts and the international federations and ensure that we find consensus. We understand that there will be differences depending on the sports. But it was fully agreed that as members, and as the IOC, we should make the effort to place emphasis on protection of the female category and that we should ensure that this is done in consensus with all the stakeholders. 'We have to do that to ensure fairness. And we have to do it with scientific approach. And with the inclusion of the international federations who have done a lot of work in that area. So we have to bring in the experts, that will take a little bit of time, and the international federations so that we have full buy-in and cohesion on this specific topic.' In an exclusive interview with Mail Sport this week, IBA president Umar Kremlev called on the IOC to strip Khelif of her gold medal. But the Zimbabwean IOC chief said there is no desire to revisit the fiery row which overshadowed the boxing at the Paris Olympics. 'We are not going to be doing anything retrospectively,' she said. 'We are going to be looking forward. And again, from the members that were here, it was what are we learning from the past and how are we going to leverage that and move that forward to the future and how are we going to strengthen the movement as we move into the future.'
News.com.au
06-06-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
Imane Khelif goes missing after bombshell gender test leak
Imane Khelif will skip the Eindhoven Box Cup just a week after World Boxing announced mandatory sex testing for all athletes. The Algerian, along with Taiwan's Lin Yu-Ting, was the focal point of an explosive gender row that dominated the 2024 Olympics in Paris last summer. Khelif fought at the Games 18 months after being banned from competing at the Women's World Championships for allegedly failing a gender eligibility test, The Sun reports. The alleged test administered by the International Boxing Association is said to have determined that both Khelif and Yu-Ting have male XY chromosomes. The pair, however, were permitted to compete by the IOC because of their female passport statuses, to the fury of many. Less than a year after the scandal, World Boxing announced all participants in competitions under their jurisdiction will have to undergo sex testing. And Khelif won't be in action at their first event since the announcement in Eindhoven having missed the deadline to register. 'The decision of Imane's exclusion is not ours. We regret it,' Eindhoven Cup media director Dirk Renders said. Mayor of Eindhoven Joren Dijsselbloem has blasted World Boxing's decision to implement mandatory sex testing. In a letter to the Dutch Boxing Federation and the International Boxing Federation, he said: 'As far as we are concerned, all athletes are welcome in Eindhoven. 'Excluding athletes based on controversial 'gender tests' certainly does not fit in with that. 'We are expressing our disapproval of this decision today and are calling on the organisation to admit Imane Khelif after all.' Khelif won Algeria's first ever female gold medal in boxing at the Paris Games. The boxer was subjected to a torrent of abuse on social media after forcing Italy's Angele Carina to quit just 46 seconds into their opening bout. The stoppage of Carini sparked claims the gender eligibility test Khelif failed before the 2023 World Championships deemed her to be a 'biological male'. That alleged test, which was conducted in New Delhi, was recently published by 3 Wire Sports. The document claimed that chromosome analysis revealed a 'male karyotype'. A karotype is the set of chromosomes possessed by an individual. Khelif has yet to speak on the alleged report, but has maintained that she is a biological female from the outset. The Algerian has taken legal action against a number of prominent figures for alleged 'aggravated cyber-harassment', including Elon Musk and JK Rowling. The last ten months have been a rollercoaster of emotions for Khelif, who admits the ordeal has taken its toll. 'Immediately after, there was a big uproar from big politicians around the world, athletes around the world,' Khelif told El Birard. 'And even artists and stars, Elon Musk, Trump, this thing ... that affected me. 'I am not lying to you, it affected me. It affected me a lot, hurt me a lot. 'I can't describe to you the amount of fear I had. The scenario was very scary. 'Thank god, all the people of Algeria and the Arab world knew Imane Khelif with her femininity, her courage, her will. 'Honestly, I don't like to get into politics in sports, but they got into politics in sports. 'Sports and politics are two separate things. 'These politicians who are oppressing me, they don't have the right to say that I'm a transgender.'
The Sun
05-06-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Gender row Olympic champion Imane Khelif skips tournament days after World Boxing announce mandatory sex testing
IMANE KHELIF will SKIP the Eindhoven Box Cup just a week after World Boxing announced mandatory sex testing for all athletes. The Algerian, along with Taiwan's Lin Yu-Ting, was the focal point of an explosive gender row that dominated the 2024 Olympics in Paris last summer. Khelif fought at the Games 18 months after being banned from competing at the Women's World Championships for allegedly failing a gender eligibility test. The alleged test administered by the International Boxing Association is said to have determined that Khelif and Yu-Ting have male XY chromosomes. The pair, however, were permitted to compete by the IOC because of their female passport statuses, to the fury of many. Less than a year after the scandal, World Boxing announced all participants in competitions under their jurisdiction will have to undergo sex testing. And Khelif won't be in action at their first event since the announcement in Eindhoven having missed the deadline to register. Eindhoven Cup media director Dirk Renders said: "The decision of Imane's exclusion is not ours. We regret it. Mayor of Eindhoven Joren Dijsselbloem has blasted World Boxing's decision to implement mandatory sex testing. In a letter to the Dutch Boxing Federation and the International Boxing Federation, he said: "As far as we are concerned, all athletes are welcome in Eindhoven. "Excluding athletes based on controversial 'gender tests' certainly does not fit in with that. "We are expressing our disapproval of this decision today and are calling on the organization to admit Imane Khelif after all." THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY..
CTV News
03-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
World Boxing apologizes for naming Olympic champion Imane Khelif in sex test policy
Algeria's Imane Khelif poses after defeating China's Yang Liu to win gold in their women's 66 kg final boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) The president of World Boxing has apologized after Olympic champion Imane Khelif was singled out in the governing body's announcement to make sex testing mandatory. Algerian boxer Khelif, who won gold at the Paris Games last summer amid scrutiny over her eligibility, was specifically mentioned when World Boxing released its new policy last Friday. On Monday, its president Boris van der Vorst contacted the Algerian Boxing Federation to acknowledge that was wrong. 'I am writing to you all personally to offer a formal and sincere apology for this and acknowledge that her privacy should have been protected,' he wrote in a letter seen by The Associated Press. Van der Vorst added he hoped by 'reaching out to you personally we show our true respect to you and your athletes.' Khelif and fellow gold medalist Lin Yu-ting from Taiwan were in the spotlight in Paris because the previous governing body for Olympic boxing, the International Boxing Association, disqualified both fighters from its 2023 world championships, claiming they failed an unspecified eligibility test. However, the International Olympic Committee applied sex eligibility rules used in previous Olympics and cleared Khelif and Lin to compete. World Boxing has been provisionally approved as the boxing organizer at the 2028 Los Angeles Games and has faced pressure from boxers and their federations to create sex eligibility standards. It said there will be mandatory testing for all boxers from July 1 to 'ensure the safety of all participants and deliver a competitive level playing field for men and women.' The governing body announced all athletes over 18 years old in its competitions must undergo a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) genetic test to determine their sex at birth. The PCR test detects chromosomal material through a mouth swab, saliva or blood. If an athlete intending to compete in the women's categories is determined to have male chromosomal material, 'initial screenings will be referred to independent clinical specialists for genetic screening, hormonal profiles, anatomical examination or other valuation of endocrine profiles by medical specialists,' World Boxing said. The policy also includes an appeals process. Khelif plans to defend her gold medal at the LA Games, but some boxers and their federations have already spoken out against her inclusion. She had intended to return to international competition this month in the Eindhoven Box Cup in the Netherlands. ___ James Robson, The Associated Press
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Olympic boxing champ Imane Khelif must undergo genetic sex screening to fight for new governing body
Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif must undergo genetic sex screening to participate in upcoming events with the sport's new governing body. World Boxing announced mandatory sex testing for all athletes Friday. The governing body specifically mentioned Khelif when announcing the policy, saying the Algerian gold medal winner must be screened before she will be approved to fight at any upcoming events, including the Eindhoven Box Cup next month in the Netherlands. Advertisement 'The introduction of mandatory testing will be part of a new policy on 'Sex, Age and Weight' to ensure the safety of all participants and deliver a competitive level playing field for men and women,' World Boxing wrote in a statement. The fighters' national federations will be responsible for administering the tests and providing the results to World Boxing. Khelif won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics last summer amid international scrutiny on her and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting, another gold medal winner. The previous governing body for Olympic boxing, the Russian-dominated International Boxing Association, disqualified both fighters from its 2023 world championships after claiming they had failed an unspecified eligibility test. The IOC ran the past two Olympic boxing tournaments after the banishment of the IBA for decades of misdeeds and controversy, and it applied the sex eligibility rules used in previous Olympics. Khelif and Lin were eligible to compete under those standards. Khelif intends to return to international competition next month in Eindhoven as part of her plan to defend her gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics, but some boxers and their federations had already spoken out to protest her inclusion. Advertisement Chromosome testing was common in Olympic sports during the 20th century, but was largely abandoned in the 1990s because of numerous ambiguities that couldn't be easily resolved by the tests, collectively known as differences in sex development (DSD). Many sports switched to hormone testing to determine sex eligibility, but those tests require governing bodies to make difficult decisions on the eligibility of women with naturally high testosterone levels. Three months ago, World Athletics — the governing body for track and field — became the first Olympic sport to reintroduce chromosome testing, requiring athletes who compete in the women's events to submit to the test once in their careers. World Boxing has been provisionally approved to replace the IBA as the governing body at the Los Angeles Games, but it has faced significant pressure from boxers and their federations to create sex eligibility standards. World Boxing announced that all athletes over 18 years old in its competitions must undergo a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) genetic test to determine their sex at birth. The PCR test detects chromosomal material through a mouth swab, saliva or blood. Advertisement If an athlete intending to compete in the women's categories is determined to have male chromosomal material, 'initial screenings will be referred to independent clinical specialists for genetic screening, hormonal profiles, anatomical examination or other valuation of endocrine profiles by medical specialists,' World Boxing wrote. The policy also includes an appeals process. The boxing body's decision is the latest development in a tumultuous period in Olympic sex eligibility policy. The issue of transgender participation in sports has become an international flashpoint, with President Donald Trump and other conservative world leaders repeatedly weighing in. Earlier this year, World Athletics also proposed recommendations that would apply strict rules to athletes who were born female but had what the organization describes as naturally occurring testosterone levels in the typical male range. In 2023, World Athletics banned transgender athletes who had transitioned male to female and gone through male puberty. World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said he felt confident that the body's new rules would withstand legal challenges. Advertisement The 26-year-old Khelif had competed in women's boxing events under the IBA's auspices without controversy until the 2023 world championships. She had never won a major international competition before her dominant performance in the women's welterweight division in Paris. ___ AP boxing: Greg Beacham, The Associated Press
