Khelif sidelined amid new eligibility rules

Algerian Olympic champion boxer Imane Khelif, who is at the centre of a row over gender eligibility, will not compete in this week's tournament in the Netherlands, organisers said on June 5.

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THE HAGUE - Algerian Olympic champion boxer Imane Khelif, who is at the centre of a row over gender eligibility, will not compete in this week's tournament in the Netherlands, organisers said on June 5.

Dirk Renders, spokesman for the Eindhoven Box Cup, confirmed to AFP that the boxer would not be taking part, adding: "The decision of her exclusion is up to World Boxing."

World Boxing has introduced mandatory gender testing for competitors over 18 and had informed the Algerian federation that Khelif would have to undergo the test to compete in Eindhoven this week.

Under the new policy, all athletes in World Boxing-sanctioned competitions need to take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to determine what sex they were at birth.

The PCR test, conducted via a nasal or mouth swab, detects specific genetic material — in this case, the SRY gene — that reveals the presence of the Y chromosome, an indicator of biological sex.