Imane Khelif denies being banned from boxing and stripped of gold medal

Olympic star Imane Khelif has not been stripped of her gold medal or been banned from boxing, despite inaccurate claims made online.

Khelif, 25, won gold for Algeria at the Paris Olympics this summer in the women’s welterweight category.

While she was cleared to compete in the French capital by the International Olympic Committee, her triumphs were under constant scrutiny after she was disqualified from last year’s Women’s World Championships for allegedly failing International Boxing Association (IBA) gender eligibility rules.

An unsubstantiated Facebook post claimed on Thursday: ‘THE END FOR THE OLYMPIC LIAR’– Imane Khelif Stripped Of Gold Medal And Banned For Life After WBO Confirms Male Gender Identity’.

Those comments have been emphatically dismissed as fake news by all parties.

A spokesman for the IOC told Reuters: There is absolutely no truth in these claims.’

The WBO [World Boxing Organisation] have denied testing Khelif in any way or having any communication with her whatsoever, wishing her good luck in the next stages of her career.

‘The World Boxing Organisation has informed that it had not tested, nor had it banned female boxer Imane Khelif, who won a gold medal during the boxing tournament of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France,’ a statement said.

‘The report claiming that the WBO had banned Khelif are obviously false. We have had no communication with Khelif. We congratulate her and wish her luck in all her future endeavours.’

WBO legal counsel Gustavo Olivieri Esq. added: ‘Any report stating otherwise is obviously fake and ill-intentioned. She worked hard to earn that medal.’

Khelif’s boxing coach, Mohamed Chaoua, has also confirmed the claims are false.

More to follow