Imane Khelif hasn't been banned from boxing or had medals revoked

Context

Social media posts have circulated claims that Imane Khelif, an Algerian athlete, has been banned from boxing and that her medals and prize funds have been taken away. The posts claim this happened because the World Boxing Organization (WBO) declared Khelif a man. 

Related claims have appeared all over social media, including Facebook (archived here), Threads (archived here), and X, formerly known as Twitter (archived here and here). Although a WBO official has referred to Imane Khelif as a male, no credible organizations or reports state that she has been stripped of her medals. 

In fact

After a victory at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has faced social media allegations claiming she is a biological male or a transgender woman. Multiple fact-checking organizations, including Logically Facts, have debunked claims. 

Now, the claims have resurfaced in a different format. They state that the World Boxing Organization (WBO) banned her from boxing because they confirmed her identity as male. The claims also state that, as a result, she had her medals and prize money revoked.  

This controversy echoes earlier discussions. In 2023, the president of the International Boxing Association (IBA) noted that gender testing revealed Khelif has XY chromosomes, but no evidence was provided to substantiate this claim. Moreover, due to questions raised over the organization, the IBA is not recognized by the International Olympic Committee. 

Istvan Kovacs, the European vice president of the WBO and former Secretary General of the IBA, declared that the gender test "...clearly revealed that the Algerian boxer is biologically male" and that the IOC was informed about the discrepancy but chose not to act. These unverified assertions were further discussed in an interview published by WBO, in which a guest described Khelif as "...a man with a genetic problem, a genetic genital female condition," relying on the unverified information from the IBA. 

These statements confirm that the social media posts claiming the WBO representative has declared Imane Khelif a man are accurate. However, the claim that she has consequently been stripped of her medals or prizes is unsubstantiated. The stance of the WBO and the IBA contradicts the official position of the IOC, according to whom there has never been any doubt about Khelif being a woman.

Relevant bodies overseeing sports sanctions, such as the IOC, have made no official statements regarding disciplinary actions against Imane Khelif due to gender. Sports bans and medal strippings usually follow an official process, with transparent investigations into misconduct made public by the respective authorities. No such information exists regarding Imane Khelif.

The verdict

Although the WBO representative has referred to Imane Khelif as a man, it was based on information provided by IBA, an organization discredited by the IOC. Khelif has not been banned or stripped of her awards due to her gender. Thus, we rate this claim as false.