The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has rejected Algerian Olympic champion boxer Imane Khelif’s request to suspend World Boxing’s decision banning her from competing.
World Boxing has banned her from competing in international events until she undergoes genetic sex testing.
She filed an appeal against the decision last month and asked the court to suspend the decision until the case is heard but CAS rejected her plea on Monday, September 1.
According to CNN, the 26-year-old athlete had hoped to compete in the World Boxing Championships scheduled to start on Thursday, September 4.
The controversy about her gender emerged after she won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics in 2024.
Previously, the International Boxing Association also disqualified Imane from 2023 world championships citing unspecified eligibility test failure.
Then she was allowed to compete in the Paris Olympics as the International Olympic Committee ruled her eligible as per the sex eligibility rules used during previous games.
But following the controversy, World Boxing, which has been provisionally approved as the boxing organizer at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, announced mandatory sex testing for all athletes.
The governing body specifically mentioned Khelif while announcing the policy. It remains unclear if the boxer would go through mandatory sex testing and defend her welterweight gold medal at LA games.