“The decision to exclude Imane is not ours. We regret it.” This was the blunt statement made by Dirk Renders, director of communications for the Eindhoven Box Cup in the Netherlands, when announcing that Algerian boxer Imane Khelif will not be in this tournament, which was to be her return to competition after the gold medal she won at the Olympic Games.
The decision of World Boxing, the new international body that regulates Olympic boxing worldwide, that all boxers must undergo mandatory genetic testing to verify their sex before competing prevents the Algerian from competing in this tournament for which she has not finally formalized her registration.
“As far as we are concerned, all athletes are welcome in Eindhoven. Excluding them based on controversial ‘gender testing’ certainly does not fit with that. We express our disapproval of this decision and ask the organization to admit Imane Khelif after all,” wrote Jeroen Dijsselbloem, mayor of Eindhovenl, in a letter addressed to the Dutch and International Boxing Federations.
These statements come shortly after World Boxing apologized to the Algerian Boxing Federation for including Imane Khelif directly in the statement announcing the mandatory genetic testing.
“I am writing personally to offer a formal and sincere apology for this and to acknowledge that your privacy should have been protected,” commented Boris van der Vorst, president of World Boxing, in a letter seen by Associated Press.
The new World Boxing policy will require all boxers over the age of 18 who want to participate in a tournament under the umbrella of this association must undergo a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) genetic test to determine their sex at birth and their eligibility to compete.
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