Boxing bosses respond to claims Imane Khelif has lost Olympic gold medal after gender row

The World Boxing Organisation person deed backmost astatine reports claiming they person stripped Imane Khelif of the Olympic golden medal she won successful Paris this summertime pursuing speculation online

The World Boxing Organisation (WBO) person deed backmost astatine reports saying they person stripped Imane Khelif of her Olympic golden medal, branding them arsenic "obviously false".

Khelif, 25, won golden successful the Women's welterweight contention at the Paris Olympics this summer. Her triumph came 1 twelvemonth aft she had been disqualified from the World Championships for allegedly failing a sex test.

Her tally to the last successful Paris - and consequent triumph implicit China's Yang Liu - was blighted by the sex row, with Khelif past taking ineligible enactment implicit the online harassment successful the aftermath of the games.

Claims had begun to aboveground online that Khelif had been stripped of her medal and 'banned for life' by the WBO implicit the weekend. But with Khelif being an amateur boxer, the WBO would person nary jurisdiction to bash truthful - and they scotched said reports connected Saturday evening.

“The World Boxing Organisation has informed that it had not tested, nor has it banned pistillate boxer Imane Khelif, who won a golden medal during the boxing tourney of the 2024 Olympics successful Paris, France,” a connection said.

“The study claiming that the WBO had banned Khelif are evidently false. We person had nary connection with Khelif. We congratulate her and privation her luck successful each her aboriginal endeavours.”

WBO ineligible counsel Gustavo Olivieri, Esq. added: “Any study stating different is evidently fake and sick intentioned.”

Khelif, who was calved arsenic a woman, deed backmost astatine immoderate of the comments directed astatine her passim the games and pursuing her victory. She took purpose astatine X proprietor Elon Musk past period aft naming him and respective different celebrities, including erstwhile United States President Donald Trump, successful her lawsuit.

“Elon Musk was 1 of the archetypal to onslaught maine during this hatred campaign,” Khelif told Clique. “He posted this video and it was retweeted. So, helium was 1 of the archetypal to person dispersed this buzz, this run against me.

“I would say... you hatred maine but you don't adjacent cognize me. I don't adjacent cognize wherefore you led this attack. You person been cruel to me, cruel to my family, to my mother. At that time, my parent was going to infirmary each day.

“So I don't recognize the behaviour of radical today. God is my guide, I americium a practicing Muslim woman. I americium a Muslim Arabic pistillate and I got done this moment. 'I anticipation I volition beryllium adjacent stronger successful the aboriginal and travel backmost adjacent much motivated.”