Imane Khelif has appealed to the court of arbitration for sport over World Boxing’s decision to bar the 26-year-old from its events without a preliminary genetic sex test.
A court statement said an appeal was filed by Khelif on 5 August seeking to overturn a decision by World Boxing blocking the Algerian’s participation in the Box Cup in Eindhoven or any World Boxing event until a genetic sex test had taken place.
The appeal also seeks a declaration from Cas that Khelif is eligible to participate without a test in the World Boxing Championships between 4 and 14 September.
The court statement said a request to suspend World Boxing’s decision to bar Khelif until the case is heard was dismissed on Monday. Written submissions are being exchanged between the parties, the court statement said, and a hearing will be scheduled with their agreement.
Khelif won Olympic women’s welterweight gold in Paris last summer having been cleared to compete by the International Olympic Committee, despite the International Boxing Association having banned Khelif from the previous year’s world championships for allegedly failing to meet gender eligibility criteria.
After winning gold, Khelif said: “I am fully qualified to take part in this competition – I am a woman.
“I was born a woman, I’ve lived as a woman and I’ve competed as a woman. There’s no doubt that there are enemies of success, and that gives my success a special taste because of these attacks.”
