The results of a medical test on Olympic champion boxer Imane Khelif at the 2023 World Championships have indicated that the athlete is a biological male.
The alleged findings emerged shortly after World Boxing mandated that Khelif undergo sex screening to participate in future female events.
Khelif won a women’s boxing gold medal representing Algeria boxing at the Paris Games.
Despite prior knowledge of the 2023 test results, Khelif was permitted to compete in France, raising concerns about the legitimacy of the test according to IOC president Thomas Bach.
‘Chromosome analysis reveals male karyotype,’ the document, seen by 3 Wire Sports via Telegraph Sport, states.
Broadcaster Piers Morgan was among the first to respond to reports of the test, writing on social media site X: ‘The biology-denying woke brigade abused and shamed me for saying it was outrageous and dangerous for Khelif to be beating up women at the Olympics.
‘I’m ready for their apology, but won’t hold my breath.’
Former Olympian Sharron Davies was similarly convinced by the report, writing: ‘When did we stop believing in our eyes & gut! Oh yeah when we decided women’s sport didn’t matter…’
Results have emerged reportedly showing Imane Khelif’s 2023 failed gender eligibility test
Conservative activist Riley Gaines also weighed in, referring to Khelif with male pronouns and saying: ‘To all the people that insisted Imane Khelif was a woman because his passport said so,
‘You were wrong. We were right. Sincerely, People with functioning eyes and a shred of honesty.’
The results reportedly have a date of being collected of March 17, 2023 – the same year that Khelif was disqualified by the International Boxing Association (IBA), the former governing body for the sport for ‘failing gender eligibility tests’.
The document claims to have come from Dr Lal PathLabs in New Delhi, a laboratory which is accredited by the American College of Pathologists and certified by the International Organisation for Standardisation.
The report was initially published by the journalist Alan Abrahamson, who first brought reports of Khelif’s alleged failed gender eligibility test to public attention at the Paris Games.
Mail Sport has contacted Khelif’s representatives for comment.
The boxer has been engulfed in controversy since news of her alleged failed test in Paris
Khelif (pictured at Bottega Veneta’s S/S 2025 fashion show in September) has strenuously denied claims that she is not a woman
Khelief has previously stated that she planned to defend her gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics in three years time.
World Boxing does have some Olympic authority, as they have been announced to provisionally run testing for the Los Angeles games, with any person over 18 required to undergo PCR testing to determine their sex.
The governing body said the PCR test is a laboratory technique used to detect specific genetic material, with the SRY gene revealing the presence of the Y chromosome, which is an indicator of biological sex. The test can be a be conducted by nasal/mouth swab, saliva or blood.
The governing body said the testing will be part of a new policy on ‘Sex, Age and Weight’, which it claims will ensure a safe and competitive playing field.
World Boxing revealed the contents of a letter sent to the Algerian Boxing Federation, confirming Khelif is unable to compete in the female category at the Eindhoven Box Cup or any World Boxing event until she undergoes sex testing.
Khelif won a gold medal representing Algeria competing in boxing at the Paris Olympic Games
Since her win, Khelif has appeared on a number of television programmes defending herself
‘Imane Khelif may not participate in the female category at the Eindhoven Box Cup, 5-10 June 2025 and any World Boxing event until Imane Khelif undergoes genetic sex screening in accordance with World Boxing’s rules and testing procedures,’ the letter read.
‘In accordance with the World Boxing Statutes, amendments to the Competition Rules are typically made by Congress. However, under special or emergency circumstances, the World Boxing Executive Board holds the authority to make immediate amendments when a rule is deemed no longer functional or when evolving conditions necessitate a change.
‘In May 2025, the Executive Board exercised this authority and adopted new eligibility criteria for participation in sex-specific boxing categories. These new eligibility rules were developed with the express purpose of safeguarding athletes in combat sports, particularly given the physical risks associated with Olympic-style boxing.
Piers Morgan, Sharron Davies, and Riley Gaines were all quick to weigh in on the alleged results
3 Wire Sports published an alleged excerpt of the gender eligibility test Khelif underwent
Then-IOC President Thomas Bach previously questioned the test’s legitimacy in Paris last year
‘Please be advised that, per World Boxing policy, “…in the event the athlete’s sex certification is challenged by the athlete’s federation or by World Boxing, the athlete shall be ineligible to compete until the dispute is resolved…’
Khelif was not the only controversial boxer in Paris, as Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting also won a gold medal in women’s boxing despite having been banned by the IBA in 2023.
Morgan previously weighed in on Khelif’s alleged gender ineligibility in November, when a ‘leaked’ report published in German outlet Bild claimed that she was a ‘biological male’.
He posted to his 8.8m followers at the time: ‘Confirmation of what some of us said at the time: Khelif is a biological man. The gold medal should now be stripped and awarded to the best actual woman.’
It remains unclear whether the report was legitimate, with Algerian Olympic Committee calling out ‘unsubstantiated allegations (which aimed) to tarnish the image of an athlete who has brought honor to our nation on the international stage.’
The report was initially put together in 2023 via collaboration between French and Algerian expert endocrinologists working at the Kremlin-Bicetre hospital in Paris, and the Mohamed Lamine Debaghine hospital in Algiers.
The unverified report alleges that Khelif has male characteristics.
But Jacques Young, an endocrinologist at Bicetre Hospital in Paris who reportedly co-authored the document, has told DW in Germany that he feels his name is being used to spread false information.
Young also hinted he had been used to disseminate an anti-trans agenda. ‘I think your statement perfectly reflects reality,’ when he was asked whether his name was being used for those purposes.
