Transgender boxer Imane Khelif has been demanded to return her gold medal from the Paris Olympics by International Boxing Association (IBA) President Umar Kremlev.
The IBA was recognized by the IOC to set the rules for Olympic boxing until 2023 as corruption concerns of being funded by Russian-back Gazprom rose to the surface.
Now, World Boxing runs the sport for the Olympics, and has ruled that Khelif would need to undergo sex screening to be eligible for any future appearances in female events.
Results from a leaked medical test on Khelif at the 2023 World Championships have suggested the boxer is a biological male, meaning a chance to defend her medal are likely off the table.
Yet, that punishment is not strong enough for Kremlev, a Russian himself, who has ran the IBA since 2020.
‘No, I am not satisfied,’ he told The Sun. ‘I truly believe that a medal should be truly deserved. We must protect athletes and give them the best conditions. I am here for truth, transparency and openness.’
Transgender boxer Imane Khelif has been demanded to return her Olympic gold medal
IBA President Umar Kremlev believes in a harsher punishment than no longer competing
‘And now the truth has been revealed. There should be no unfair fights in boxing and the international federations should take care of their athletes. So the medal should be returned to the real owner, the real female owner.’
Khelif won a women’s boxing gold medal representing Algeria at the Paris Games last summer.
Khelif was deemed eligible to compete in France despite World Boxing having known about the 2023 test more than a year earlier, with IOC president Thomas Bach previously questioning the test’s legitimacy.
‘Chromosome analysis reveals male karyotype,’ the document, seen by 3 Wire Sports via Telegraph Sport, states.
The results reportedly have a date of being collected on 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’.
Details of how exactly she failed the test were unclear, only that the Algerian did not pass.
Now, Kremlev believes Khelif’s case is not the only huge problem for the IOC.
‘Everything that is earned in the Olympics should be shared with the athletes. They should get prize money and medals made of the real precious metals they are supposed to represent,’ he said to The Sun.
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 programs defending herself
‘Why, when the Olympics Games come around, do the IOC administrators stay in five-star hotels, eat in fancy restaurants and sometimes travel on private jets – while the athletes all share a little village?’
‘It’s crazy and it’s bulls*** because it is the athletes – and their lifetime of dedication – that make the event and get the sponsorship and the broadcasts.They should fly home on private jets, with real medals.’
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.
