IBA president reignites controversy that overshadowed Olympics as Algerian boxer Imane Khelif told to hand back gold
The controversy that cast a dark shadow over last summer’s Paris Olympics has exploded back into life, with boxing’s international chief sensationally demanding a gold medallist return their medal nearly 12 months after the Games.
International Boxing Association president Umar Kremlev has called on Algeria’s Imane Khelif to hand back the gold medal won in the French capital, reigniting the gender eligibility storm that dominated headlines throughout the competition.
The extraordinary intervention comes almost a year after Khelif’s victory sparked fierce debate about eligibility rules and fairness in women’s sport.
From Tokyo struggles to Paris gold
Khelif’s journey to Olympic glory was nothing short of remarkable – going from struggling at the Tokyo Games just three years earlier to standing atop the podium in Paris.
But the triumph was overshadowed by widespread allegations about the boxer’s eligibility to compete in the women’s category, following reported failures of two gender tests at previous World Championships.
Despite the swirling controversy, the International Olympic Committee allowed Khelif to compete, setting up a collision course with boxing’s governing body that continues to reverberate through the sport.
The tests that sparked a firestorm
The controversy centres on gender eligibility tests that Khelif reportedly failed at World Championship events prior to the Paris Games.
While the specific details of these tests remain contentious, they were enough for questions to be raised about whether the athlete should be competing in women’s events.
The IOC’s decision to permit Khelif’s participation despite these concerns created a rift with the IBA that has only widened with time.
Kremlev breaks his silence
Now, nearly a year after the Paris Games concluded, IBA president Kremlev has broken his silence with an explosive demand.
His call for Khelif to return the gold medal represents an unprecedented challenge to the IOC’s authority and reignites debates about fairness, inclusion and eligibility in elite sport.
The timing of Kremlev’s intervention – so long after the event – raises questions about the ongoing power struggle between boxing’s governing body and the Olympic movement.
A sport divided
The controversy highlights the deep divisions within boxing over gender eligibility rules and who has the authority to enforce them.
While the IBA maintains its testing protocols should be respected, the IOC has taken a different approach to inclusion and eligibility criteria.
This latest development threatens to deepen those divisions and could have implications for boxing’s future in the Olympic programme.
The medal that divides opinion
For Khelif, the gold medal represents the pinnacle of sporting achievement – a journey from disappointment in Tokyo to triumph in Paris.
But Kremlev’s demand has ensured that medal will forever be associated with controversy, regardless of whether it remains around the athlete’s neck.
The Algerian has yet to respond to the IBA president’s extraordinary call.
What happens next?
The ball is now firmly in the IOC’s court. Will they back their decision to allow Khelif to compete, or will Kremlev’s intervention force a rethink?
With boxing’s Olympic future already under scrutiny, this latest controversy could hardly come at a worse time for the sport.
One thing is certain – nearly a year after the Paris Olympics ended, the gender eligibility debate shows no signs of going away.
The question now is whether Khelif will bow to pressure and return the medal, or stand firm against what supporters will see as an attempt to rewrite Olympic history.
Either way, the controversy that overshadowed Paris 2024 is back with a vengeance.
Imane Khelif – Algerian Olympic boxer (official portrait, 2024)
Photo by Chabe01, used under the Creative Commons Attribution‑ShareAlike 4.0 International license
