2018–2021: Career beginnings and Olympic debut At the
2018 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships, Khelif finished 17th in the women's lightweight event after being eliminated in the first round by
Karina Ibragimova. At the
2019 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships, she finished 33rd in the women's lightweight event after being eliminated in the first round by Natalia Shadrina. Khelif represented Algeria in the
women's lightweight event at the
2020 Summer Olympics, where she was defeated by
Ireland's
Kellie Harrington in the quarterfinals. She was the first female boxer to represent Algeria at the Olympics.
2022: IBA Championships final and boxing successes In February 2022, Khelif won a gold medal at the
Strandja Memorial Tournament after defeating Nataliya Sychugova in the final of the women's 63 kg event. Khelif was selected as Algeria's flagbearer at the
2022 IBA Women's World Boxing Championships. At the tournament, she became the first Algerian female boxer to reach the final after defeating
Chelsey Heijnen. She was then defeated by
Amy Broadhurst in the final and finished runner-up. Later that year, Khelif saw further success, winning gold medals at the
Mediterranean Games and the
African Amateur Boxing Championships.
2023: IBA Championships disqualification in the women's welterweight final of the
2023 Arab Games In March 2023, Khelif competed for the gold medal in the finals at the
IBA Women's World Boxing Championships; however, she was disqualified shortly before her gold medal bout against People's Republic of China boxer
Yang Liu. The disqualification came amid allegations from the Russian-led
International Boxing Association (IBA) that Khelif had failed unspecified eligibility tests. This disqualification happened three days after Khelif defeated , a previously unbeaten Russian prospect. The disqualification restored the Russian boxer's undefeated record. Uzbekistani boxer
Navbakhor Khamidova was awarded the bronze medal over Khelif. In 2023,
Umar Kremlev, president of the IBA, claimed that the disqualifications were because
DNA tests "proved they had
XY chromosomes".
The Washington Post stated, "It remains unclear what standards Khelif and
Lin Yu-ting failed [in 2023] to lead to the disqualifications", At the time, Khelif said the ruling meant having "characteristics that mean I can't box with women", but said she was the victim of a "big conspiracy" regarding the disqualification. Her appeal to the
Court of Arbitration for Sport was terminated after the required
procedural costs were not paid. On 31 July 2024, regarding their 2023 decision, the IBA stated that Khelif and others "did not undergo a testosterone examination but were subject to a separate and recognized test, whereby the specifics remain confidential", and further alleged that they "were found to have competitive advantages over other female competitors". The following day, the IOC released their own statement in response, stating that the IBA's decision was "sudden and arbitrary" and "without any due process". IOC further stated: In July 2023, four months after the IBA Championships disqualification, Khelif represented Algeria at the
Arab Games, where she won a gold medal in the women's welterweight event. In November 2023, she announced that she was turning
professional; her first professional fight took place in Singapore that month.
2024 Olympic gold medal In January 2024, Khelif became a
UNICEF national ambassador. The boxing events in Paris for the
2024 Summer Olympics were managed by the
International Olympic Committee (IOC) Paris 2024 Boxing Unit. The IOC cleared Khelif to compete in Paris, confirming that she complied with all necessary eligibility and medical regulations for the event. The IOC stated that all athletes competing in Paris comply with the competition's eligibility and entry regulation, and that Khelif "was born female, was registered female, lived her life as a female, boxed as a female, has a female passport". Later, the IOC confirmed receiving the letter from the IBA in June 2023, and stated that "from the conception of the test, to how the test was shared with us, to how the tests have become public, is so flawed that it's impossible to engage with it". During the IBA press conference in Paris on 5 August 2024, the organization's position and its president, Umar Kremlev, regarding the nature of the conducted tests changed and became contradictory. Initially, the IBA claimed that sex verification tests were conducted. Still, at the conference, Secretary General Chris Roberts spoke of "chromosome tests", while Kremlev asserted that the tests aimed to determine testosterone levels in athletes. The situation was exacerbated by Kremlev's statements, who repeatedly criticized IOC President
Thomas Bach, declared his intention to initiate legal proceedings against him, and expressed dissatisfaction with the
Olympic Games opening ceremony, calling it "humiliating". The IBA claimed to have used laboratories accredited by the
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for testing, but WADA denied involvement in sex verification, stating it deals solely with anti-doping matters. Khelif defeated
Hungary's
Luca Hámori in the quarterfinals on 3 August. She then defeated
Thailand's
Janjaem Suwannapheng in the semifinals on 6 August, guaranteeing her at least a silver medal in the event. On 9 August, she defeated
Yang Liu of
China in the final to win the gold medal. Khelif became Algeria's first female gold medalist in boxing, as well as the country's first boxer of any gender to win a medal since
Mohamed Allalou in
2000, and the first to win a gold medal since
Hocine Soltani in
1996. Khelif's win came after she faced intense public scrutiny over her eligibility to compete in the women's category, including from celebrities and world leaders. Khelif became the target of online abuse and misinformation, including the false claim that she is a man.
Second-round fight against Angela Carini As the fifth seed, Khelif received a
bye into the second round. In the second round, held on 1 August, she defeated
Angela Carini of
Italy 46 seconds after the match commenced, when Carini withdrew after receiving two blows, citing intense pain in her nose. Carini reportedly exclaimed, "It's not fair!" after a punch from Khelif. Because of this, Khelif received online backlash from those who questioned her
gender. The next day, Carini apologized to Khelif via the Italian newspaper
La Gazzetta dello Sport, stating, "All this controversy makes me sad ... I'm sorry for my opponent, too. If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision." The
Algerian Olympic Committee (COA) defended Khelif, stating before the match that Khelif had been the victim of "unethical targeting" and "baseless propaganda", and that they had taken "all necessary measures" to protect Khelif and her right to compete. At a news conference on 3 August 2024, IOC President
Thomas Bach defended the participation of Khelif and
Lin Yu-ting, saying, "There was never any doubt about them being a woman." He further reaffirmed that Khelif was born a woman and denounced hate speech against her. The IOC said that the
Le Correspondant story references "unverified documents whose origin cannot be confirmed". to prove the absence of an
SRY gene and
androgenizing DSDs. World Boxing faced criticism for the announcement, and president
Boris van der Vorst apologized to the Algerian federation for what it perceived as a violation of her privacy. Khelif had intended to return to international competition at the Eindhoven Box Cup in June 2025. However, following World Boxing's announcement of mandatory sex testing, tournament officials reported that Khelif had not registered for the event. She appealed the World Boxing decision in August 2025, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport declined her request to suspend the World Boxing decision until the case was heard. This decision, delivered on 1 September 2025, prevented Khelif from participating in the
World Boxing championship that started three days later.
2026 In a February 2026 interview with
CNN, Khelif revealed that she has high levels of
testosterone, which she has been reducing under medical supervision; she also indicated her willingness to undergo the mandatory sex verification tests required by the IOC. Subsequent reporting interpreted this exchange as her confirming she has the SRY gene.
The Guardian lists Khelif among
high-profile Olympians who have a DSD, but as of February 2026, she has not explicitly described herself as
intersex or as having a
DSD. == Notes ==