FILE PHOTO: Paris 2024 Olympics - Boxing - Women's 66kg - Final - Roland-Garros Stadium, Paris, France - August 09, 2024. Imane Khelif of Algeria in action against Liu Yang of China. REUTERS/Peter Cziborra/ File Photo
Feb 5 (Reuters) - Algerian boxer Imane Khelif said she will comply with genetic testing requirements as long as the tests are conducted by the International Olympic Council (IOC), to be able to participate in competitions.
Khelif won gold in the women's welterweight division at the Paris Games in 2024 amid a gender dispute over her eligibility, after the International Boxing Association (IBA) disqualified her from the 2023 World Championships based on sex chromosome tests.
World Boxing, which will oversee boxing competitions in the2028 Olympics in Los Angeles after being granted provisional recognition by the IOC, last May announced mandatory sex testing for all boxers in its competitions.
Khelif, who lodged an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over World Boxing's decision barring her from events unless she undergoes genetic sex testing, said she would only undergo the testing if it is administered by the IOC.
"Of course, I would accept doing anything I'm required to do to participate in competitions," Khelif told CNN.
"They should protect women, but they need to pay attention that while protecting women, they shouldn't hurt other women."
"I'm not transgender. I'm a woman. I want to live my life. Please do not exploit me in your political agendas."
The 26-year-old was hopeful of getting justice from the CAS.
“I will not surrender until I have justice because I know justice is on my side above all else,” she said.
(Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonali Paul)
