Paris Olympic gold medallist Imane Khelif ready for legal fight in gender dispute with IBA

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif says she’s ready to “take all the necessary legal steps” after the latest move from the International Boxing Federation (IBA) in a gender dispute that has been going on since last year’s Paris Olympics.

“I am not going anywhere. I will fight in the ring, I will fight in courts and I will fight in the public eye until the truth is undeniable,” Khelid vowed in an Instagram post.

Khelif and Taiwan boxer Lin Yu-ting won gold medals at the Games, being allowed to compete by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) a year after being disqualified from the IBA-run world championships after allegedly failing eligibility tests.

The IOC, which has run the last two Olympic boxing tournaments because it has suspended IBA for various reasons, has said Khelif and Lin can compete because they were born as and identify as women.

The IBA said this week it would file criminal complaints against the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in the United States, France and Switzerland.

It said it acted after an executive order from United States President Donald Trump to ban transgender athletes from women’s sport proved that their decision was right.

“Any action or inaction that poses a safety risk to competition participants warrants investigation and may serve as grounds for criminal prosecution,” the IBA said, looking at Swiss law.

The IOC responded by saying that “the two female athletes mentioned by IBA are not transgender athletes.”

Khelif followed with the Instagram post in which she said that IBA had “again made baseless accusations that are false and offensive, using them to further their agenda.

“This is a matter that concerns not just me but the broader principles of fairness and due process in sport.”

She said she and her team would “take all necessary legal steps to ensure that my rights and the principles of fair competition are upheld.”

“Those responsible of these actions must be held accountable, and we will pursue all available legal avenues to ensure that justice prevails,” she said.

“I have seen adversity before. I have been knocked down more times than I can count. But I have never stayed down. I have fought through every setback, every false accusation, every attempt to erase me. And I have won.

“Each obstacle has only strengthened my resolve.”

In response, the IBA said it welcomed Khelif stance, saying it would “force our organisation to reveal” two gender test results.

IBA said in a statement that, according to the tests, the boxer was banned from participating in any IBA women’s events. The results of the tests made in 2023 were never publicly disclosed.