A high-ranking official of the World Boxing Organization (WBO) has revealed that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was warned about the eligibility of Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who is competing in the women’s division at the Paris Olympics.
István Kovács, the European vice president of WBO, told Hungarian media that the IOC was informed in 2022 that Khelif had failed a gender test, indicating that the boxer is biologically male. Kovács, a former Secretary General of the International Boxing Association, said that the IOC was made aware of the test results, but failed to take action.
According to Kovács, the International Boxing Association (IBA) had previously disqualified Khelif and another boxer, Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, from competing in the 2023 Women’s World Boxing Championships due to failed DNA tests. The tests revealed that both boxers had XY chromosomes, indicating that they are biologically male.
Kovács stated that he personally reported the test results to the IOC, but received no response. He expressed concern that Hungarian boxer Anna Luca Hámori was not properly prepared to compete against Khelif, who he believes is a man. “The biggest problem is that Hámori can only realize her dream of winning a medal if she beats a man,” Kovács said.
Despite Kovács’ warnings, Hámori faced off against Khelif on Saturday, and was easily defeated. The Algerian boxer will now move on to the finals. Prior to the match, Hámori had made a social media post referring to Khelif as a “horned male devil,” but was forced to delete the post after the Algerian team filed a complaint with the IOC.
