The president of World Boxing has apologised to Algerian Olympic champion Imane Khelif after she was singled out in the governing body's latest announcement to make gender testing mandatory.

The governing body had announced that from July 1, all athletes over 18 years old in its competitions must undergo a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) genetic test to determine their gender at birth. The PCR test detects chromosomal material through a mouth swab, saliva or blood.

Algerian boxer Khelif, who won gold at the Paris Games last summer amid intense scrutiny over her eligibility, was specifically mentioned when World Boxing released its new policy last Friday.

"World Boxing has written to the Algerian Boxing Federation to inform it that Imane Khelif will not be allowed to participate in the female category at the Eindhoven Box Cup or any World Boxing event until Imane Khelif undergoes sex testing," World Boxing said in a statement last Friday.

Formal apology

On Monday, its president, Boris van der Vorst, reached out to the Algerian Boxing Federation to acknowledge naming Imane Khelif was wrong.

“I am writing to you all personally to offer a formal and sincere apology for this and acknowledge that her privacy should have been protected,” he wrote in a letter seen by The Associated Press.

Van der Vorst added he hoped by “reaching out to you personally we show our true respect to you and your athletes.”

Khelif and fellow gold medallist Lin Yu-ting from Taiwan were in the spotlight in Paris because the previous governing body for Olympic boxing, the International Boxing Association, disqualified both fighters from its 2023 world championships, claiming they failed an eligibility test.

Eligibility rules

However, the International Olympic Committee applied gender eligibility rules used in previous Olympics and cleared Khelif and Lin to compete.

World Boxing has been provisionally approved as the boxing organiser at the 2028 Los Angeles Games and has faced pressure from boxers and their federations to create gender eligibility standards.

It said there will be mandatory testing to “ensure the safety of all participants and deliver a competitive level playing field for men and women”.

Khelif plans to defend her gold medal at the LA Games, but some boxers and their federations have already spoken out against her inclusion.

She had intended to return to international competition this month in the Eindhoven Box Cup in the Netherlands.