The World Boxing Organisation (WBO) has refuted allegations that it banned Olympic champion Imane Khelif or took away her Paris 2024 gold medal due to supposed gender eligibility test failures, labelling such claims as “clearly untrue.”
These rumours began after an online sports blog stated that Khelif had been given a lifetime ban, which quickly spread on social media. However, Gustavo Olivieri, the WBO’s legal advisor, explained in a statement that the organisation had “neither tested nor banned” Khelif, stressing that “any report claiming otherwise is obviously fake and malicious.” He also mentioned that the WBO has had “no contact” with Khelif.
As Khelif is an amateur boxer, the WBO, which oversees professional boxing and titles, would have no say in this matter, nor could it take back her Olympic medal. The 25-year-old won the women’s welterweight gold medal at the Paris Olympics, a year after being disqualified from the World Championships for allegedly failing gender eligibility tests.
The World Championships were organised by the International Boxing Association (IBA), led by Umar Kremlev and later lost its position as the world governing body for boxing due to worries about integrity and governance, according to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The IOC also cast doubt on the IBA’s gender testing, asserting that it lacked credibility and could not be trusted. As a result, the IOC took over the boxing competition for the Paris Olympics and implemented more lenient eligibility standards.
Following her Olympic triumph which saw her home town get behind her, Khelif spoke out, describing her treatment as “bullying” and accusing the IBA of unfairly targeting her, stating, “They hate me and I really don’t know why.” She added, “I am fully qualified to take part in this competition. I am a woman like any other woman. I was born a woman. I have lived as a woman. I competed as a woman – there is no doubt about that.”
Khelif responded strongly to some of the remarks made about her during the Games and after her win. Last month, she criticised X owner Elon Musk, mentioning him along with several other public figures, including former US President Donald Trump, in a lawsuit she filed.
“Elon Musk was one of the first to attack me during this hate campaign,” Khelif told Clique. “He posted this video and it was retweeted. So, he was one of the first to have spread this buzz, this campaign against me.
“I would say… you hate me but you don’t even know me. I don’t even know why you led this attack. You have been cruel to me, cruel to my family, to my mother. At that time, my mother was going to hospital every day.
“So I don’t understand the behavior of people today. God is my guide, I am a practicing Muslim woman. I am a Muslim Arabic woman and I got through this moment. ‘I hope I will be even stronger in the future and come back even more motivated.”
