Imane Khelif Squashes Retirement Rumors Following World Boxing's Mandatory Sex Testing
The controversial Olympic gold medalist vows to stay loyal to the sport of boxing and to Algeria.
Despite World Boxing's new policy requiring mandatory sex testing, Imane Khelif has no plans to retire from the sport.
Last week, the governing body officially announced that all athletes over the age of 18 who want to participate in a World Boxing-owned or sanctioned competition will need to undergo a once-in-a-lifetime, PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test or a functional medical equivalent test to determine their genetic sex. That way, only males can compete in the men's category, and only females can compete in the women's category.
Khelif drew attention to the issue during the 2024 Paris Olympics, when the Algerian boxer — who is reported to have a difference of sex development (DSD) and XY chromosomes — captured a gold medal in women's boxing.
Imane Khelif won gold in women's boxing at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
(Photo by Annice Lyn/ANOC via Getty Images)
Shortly after the announcement, Khelif’s former manager, Nasser Yesfah, revealed in an interview that the Olympic champion had "left the world of boxing," fueling retirement rumors.
Khelif quickly put those rumors to rest, writing in a Facebook post that Yesfah "no longer represents me in any way" and that he had "betrayed the trust and betrayed the country with his false and purposeful statements."
"I have never announced my retirement from boxing, but I am still committed to my sport career, I train regularly and maintain my fitness between Algeria and Qatar, in preparation for the upcoming merits," Khelif continued.
"Such rumors are spreading only to disrupt and insult my athletic and professional career. I will always remain loyal to the sport of boxing and my homeland Algeria, and this false news will not deter me from continuing to defend and honor the colors of my country in international concerts.
"I thank everyone who supported me and still supporting me, and I confirm that my journey continues God willing."
Despite mandatory sex testing in World Boxing, Imane Khelif denies retirement rumors.
(Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Khelif was set to defend the title in the Eindhoven Box Cup in June, but skipped it after World Boxing initially announced its plans to introduce sex testing for all boxers in its competitions. Later, World Boxing president Boris van der Vorst apologized for specifically naming Khalif in their announcement on mandatory sex testing.