IMANE Khelif is not eligible to compete in the 2025 Women’s World Boxing Championships following her gold medal victory at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The International Boxing Association (IBA) competition will be held this year in Niš, Serbia, lasting from March 8-16.
Already, over 200 fighters across 39 nations have registered to compete at the World Championships, an event that will showcase much of the elite talent women’s amateur boxing has to offer.
However, Olympic champion Khelif, a vastly accomplished highly-skilled welterweight operator, will not be among those flying over to Serbia.
This is because, according to IBA, the 25-year-old failed a gender eligibility test conducted by the organisation back in 2023, disqualifying her from the World Championships of that year.
But, with the IBA having since been stripped of its status as the governing body of Olympic boxing, Khelif was nonetheless presented with the opportunity to shine at last year’s Summer Games.
What is more, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) snubbed the IBA gender eligibility tests, claiming that they are “flawed and illegitimate.”
These claims were made by a spokesperson at a press conference that was held ahead of the Paris Olympics, illustrating the deep-rooted feud between the IOC and IBA.
As a result, both Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting – who had also allegedly failed a gender eligibility test conducted by the IBA – were cleared to compete as female athletes at last year’s Games.
But still, regardless of the IOC’s stance, IBA Secretary General and CEO Chris Roberts has insisted that the organisation’s gender eligibility tests will continue throughout this year’s Women’s World Championships.
“Imane Khelif is not eligible for our World Championships – she doesn’t meet the eligibility criteria,” Roberts said at today’s press conference in Niš.
“Our technical rules clearly stipulate the requirements and eligibility criteria for the event.
“We randomly [conduct gender eligibility tests] and will be testing through the World Championships here.”
