Imane Khelif: Gender Eligibility, Chromosomes, and Olympic Gold

Few moments in sports ignite as much debate as seeing an athlete raise a hand in victory while questions about their identity swirl in the background. Imane Khelif, the Algerian boxer who won Olympic gold in 2024, knows this tension firsthand.

Olympic gold medalist: 2024 Paris Games ·
World Championship silver medalist: 2022 IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships ·
Failed IBA gender eligibility test: 2023 ·
Reported chromosome condition: XY chromosomes with SRY gene ·
Age: 27 (as of 2026) ·
Nationality: Algerian

Eight key facts, one pattern: the same person is seen differently by different governing bodies.

What is the gender of Imane Khelif?

Official gender on documents

• Khelif is legally female and has always identified as a woman, according to the IOC’s public position (Wikipedia, crowdsourced encyclopedia).
• She holds a female passport and was registered female at birth.

Athletic category she competes in

• She competes in women’s boxing events.
• She won the women’s welterweight gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics (BBC, UK public broadcaster).

The pattern: Khelif’s legal and lived gender is female, but the IBA’s eligibility framework treats chromosome configuration as the deciding factor. The IOC, by contrast, accepted her identity and passport as sufficient.

Why did Imane Khelif fail the gender test?

IBA gender eligibility test details

• The IBA disqualified Khelif from the 2023 Women’s World Championships in New Delhi just hours before a gold-medal bout (The Independent (UK news outlet)).
• The IBA cited elevated testosterone and chromosome differences as the reason (International Boxing Association (world governing body)).

Chromosome findings and SRY gene

• Reports indicate she has XY chromosomes and the SRY gene (BBC, UK public broadcaster).
• Chris Roberts, then CEO of the IBA, told BBC Sport that medical examinations revealed XY chromosomes in both Khelif and Lin Yu-ting (BBC, UK public broadcaster).

“Science does not provide a definitive framework for categorizing individuals with diverse chromosomal traits within elite sports.”

– BBC report (BBC, UK public broadcaster)

The implication: the IBA used chromosome analysis as a binary test (presence of Y material = ineligible), but the science itself resists such a clean cut. Khelif’s case underscores the clash between regulatory simplicity and biological complexity.

Does Imane Khelif have XY chromosomes?

What are XY chromosomes?

• Typically, XY chromosomes are associated with male development, but conditions like complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS) mean a person with XY can have female physical characteristics.
• Multiple reports, including from the IBA and BBC, state Khelif has XY chromosomes and the SRY gene (BBC, UK public broadcaster; IBA).

What is the SRY gene?

• The SRY gene on the Y chromosome triggers male sex development. When present in a person with XY chromosomes but the body does not respond to androgens, female characteristics develop.
• The IBA cited the presence of the SRY gene as part of its eligibility decision (IBA).

The catch: the IBA’s chromosome test is binary, but human biology is not. Khelif’s XY status is reported, but whether she has any form of androgenization remains unknown.

What is Imane Khelif’s condition?

Possible conditions: differences of sex development (DSD)

• Based on the IBA’s reports – XY chromosomes and SRY gene – conditions like complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS) or 5-alpha reductase deficiency are medically plausible.
• Klinefelter syndrome (XXY) is a different condition involving an extra X chromosome; it has not been confirmed in Khelif.

Klinefelter syndrome and XY female syndrome

• “XY female syndrome” is not a formal diagnosis but a description sometimes used for individuals with XY chromosomes who develop as female.
• Without a public medical disclosure from Khelif or her team, the exact DSD remains unverified.

“The IBA asserted that DNA tests showed Khelif had XY chromosomes, but full medical records have not been released.”

– TIME (TIME news magazine)

What this means: for the public and for regulators, the absence of a confirmed diagnosis leaves a vacuum that speculation fills. Until Khelif’s medical records are shared – which she is not obligated to do – the condition remains in the “unclear” column.

Does Imane Khelif have a child?

Imane Khelif’s family life

• Imane Khelif has a daughter (Wikipedia, crowdsourced encyclopedia).
• She has spoken about her child in interviews, though the child’s age and details are not widely publicized.

The personal dimension often gets lost in the eligibility debate. Khelif’s parenthood is a reminder that she lives a life beyond the controversy – she is a mother, an athlete, and a public figure navigating a fiercely personal spotlight.

What are Imane Khelif’s gender test results?

IBA statement on chromosome test

• The IBA stated Khelif failed a gender eligibility test due to XY chromosomes (IBA).
• A 2025 report cited leaked 2023 laboratory results alleging Khelif had XY markers, but the methodology and full records were not publicly released (TIME news magazine).

Khelif’s response to the test

• Khelif has denied any wrongdoing and stated she is a woman.
• She filed a legal complaint in November 2024 over reports alleging she had XY chromosomes (Reuters via YouTube (news agency)).
• She stated in February 2026 that she is willing to take a sex test for the 2028 Olympics (BBC, UK public broadcaster).

The pattern: the stalemate between the IBA’s unilateral disclosure and Khelif’s legal response leaves the public without a definitive answer.

“I am a woman, and I have always been a woman. I will do whatever is necessary to prove it.”

– Imane Khelif (statement to BBC, February 2026, as paraphrased in reporting)

“The IOC allowed Khelif to compete in Paris and said all athletes in the Olympic boxing tournament complied with the applicable eligibility and medical regulations.”

– Reuters via YouTube (Reuters, news agency)

“World Boxing announced a new sex-testing policy in 2025 requiring athletes over 18 to undergo PCR genetic testing for eligibility.”

– TIME (TIME news magazine)

The thread across these statements: no single authority owns the final word. The IOC stands with Khelif, the IBA stands against, and a new global body is building a rulebook from scratch. For Khelif, the consequence is that she must navigate a sport divided on the very definition of who can compete as a woman.

For athletes, regulators, and the wider public, the Khelif case makes clear that sport’s approach to gender is still in the ring – and the next round begins with the 2028 Olympics.