
In a stunning reversal that has sent shockwaves through the sports world, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and World Boxing have jointly announced that controversial Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has been banned from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and must return his 2024 Paris gold medal.
The decision, revealed in a bombshell press release today, cites definitive genetic testing confirming Khelifâs biological male status, putting an end to one of the most divisive sagas in Olympic history.
Khelif, who clinched gold in the womenâs 66kg category at the Paris Games last year, became the epicenter of global outrage after videos surfaced showing him pummeling female opponents with unnatural power.
Italian boxer Angela Carini infamously quit after just 46 seconds in the ring, her face bloodied and tear-streaked as she protested, âThis is not right.â The bout sparked accusations of cheating, with critics labeling it a blatant example of men invading womenâs sports under the guise of âinclusion.â
Despite the International Boxing Association (IBA) disqualifying Khelif from the 2023 World Championships for failing a gender eligibility testârevealing XY chromosomes and elevated testosterone levelsâthe IOC cleared him to compete in Paris, igniting a firestorm.
High-profile figures like J.K. Rowling, Elon Musk, and former Olympian Riley Gaines decried the decision as âsexistâ and âdangerous,â arguing it endangered female athletes. Rowling tweeted, âA male boxer just pulverised a female fighter. This is what the Olympics have come to.â
Fast-forward to today: World Boxing, the new governing body vying to oversee Olympic boxing after the IBAâs decertification, enforced its mandatory genetic sex testing policy. Khelif, who had been dodging tests and appealing bans from events like the 2025 World Championships, finally submitted to scrutiny.

The results? Undeniable proof of male biology: 46,XY karyotype, internal testes, and no uterus. Sources close to the investigation say the IOC, under mounting pressure from lawsuits and public backlash, had no choice but to act.
âProtecting the integrity of womenâs sports is non-negotiable,â declared World Boxing President Boris van der Vorst. âImane Khelif is a biological male and has no place in female competitions.
All titles and medals won under false pretenses must be forfeited.â The order requires Khelif to surrender his Paris gold within 30 days, with the medal to be re-awarded to runner-up Yang Liu of China. This marks the first time an Olympic boxing medal has been stripped post-ceremony for gender fraud.
The ban extends to all future womenâs events, effectively barring Khelif from the 2028 LA Games unless he competes in the menâs divisionâa move his camp has vehemently rejected. Algeriaâs Olympic Committee called it a âwitch hunt,â vowing to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Khelif himself posted a defiant Instagram message: âI am a woman, and I will fight this injustice.â But supporters of fair play are celebrating.

Riley Gaines, who has led campaigns against male participation in womenâs sports, exclaimed, âFinally! Justice for every girl who was punched, displaced, or defeated by a man in a skirt.â
This saga isnât isolated. Khelifâs case mirrors that of Taiwanâs Lin Yu-ting, another DSD (Differences of Sex Development) athlete who also won gold in Paris amid similar uproar. Both were allowed by the IOCâs lax âpassportâ rules, which prioritize self-identification over science. But post-Paris, the tide turned. World Boxingâs policyâPCR testing for SRY gene presenceâhas already sidelined several athletes, prompting apologies and appeals but ultimately upholding biology.
The Science Behind the Scandal

Experts have long warned about DSD cases like Khelifâs, often mislabeled âintersexâ but biologically male. Dr. Emma Hilton, a biologist and co-founder of Fair Play for Women, explains: âThese individuals have testes producing male-range testosterone, conferring a massive physical advantageâ30-50% more strength, speed, and power than XX females.â Studies from the Journal of Medical Genetics confirm XY DSD athletes dominate when testosterone isnât suppressed, as seen in track star Caster Semenyaâs repeated victories before regulations kicked in.
Khelifâs passport lists him as female, born and raised as such in conservative Algeria, where transgenderism is illegal. Yet leaked medical reports from 2023 IBA tests showed no ambiguity: male gonads, no female reproductive organs. The IOC dismissed these as âarbitrary,â but todayâs ruling vindicates the IBA.
