Imane Khelif Reveals Dramatic New Feminine Makeover a Year After Winning Olympic Gold but Boxer Yet to Return to Ring

Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif has debuted a new look after opening up on a “difficult” phase in her career. Khelif was among two fighters caught in the middle of a gender eligibility controversy during the Paris 2024 Olympics last year.

The Algerian boxer was cleared to compete in the Olympics, although the International Boxing Association had previously disqualified both her and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting from the 2023 World Championships. The sport’s former governing body alleged that Khelif and Lin did not pass gender eligibility tests, leading to their disqualification. However, both boxers went on to win gold medals in the women’s boxing events at Paris 2024, drawing severe backlash.

A Complete Makeover

After the Games, the new governing body, World Boxing, announced that athletes will be subject to mandatory sex screening in order to compete in its events. Khelif skipped her planned comeback competition in the weeks after the announcement.

In June, details of a 2023 medical test alleging the boxer was “biologically male” were leaked, sparking demands for her Olympic gold medal to be revoked.

The test claimed that “chromosome analysis reveals male karyotype” — an XY chromosome pair, according to a report cited by 3 Wire Sports.

On Tuesday, Khelif unveiled her new makeover while appearing alongside TV host and podcaster Nassima Djaffar Bey. Djaffar Bey posted a photo on Instagram with Khelif, who was seen wearing makeup and styled hair, captioning it: “Always a pleasure.”

Just last week, Khelif acknowledged going through a “difficult phase” in a cryptic Instagram message shared on the first anniversary of her Olympic gold win.

“It was an unforgettable moment a moment where my tears mixed with the awe of pride, a moment where my country’s flag soared high, and I held my head up with the strength of a boxer and the heart of a human,” Khelif wrote.

“Today, on the anniversary of that triumph, I’m going through a difficult phase filled with challenges, silence, and waiting…

“But despite everything, the spirit that fought for gold still beats within me. I still believe that every fall is a prelude to a stronger rise, and that every delay carries within it a test of faith and willpower.

“True strength lies not only in victory, but in perseverance against all odds.

“I am Imane Khelif a champion yesterday, resilient today, and determined to return tomorrow. Thank you to everyone who still believes in me… And to myself, thank you for never giving up.”

No Signs of Return

Khelif has not stepped back into the ring since winning Olympic gold, having skipped a planned return at the Eindhoven Box Cup shortly after mandatory sex testing was introduced. Under World Boxing’s new rules, all athletes over 18 must take a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) genetic test to verify their sex at birth and confirm eligibility to compete.

Amid the controversy last summer, Khelif’s father produced what was said to be a birth certificate during the Olympics, listing the boxer as female.

As pressure mounted for Khelif to be stripped of her Olympic title, International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry confirmed in June that the result would not be overturned.

Her statement came after the newly elected IOC president announced the formation of a working group dedicated to protecting women’s sport. “There was overwhelming support that we should protect the female category,” Coventry said.

“We understand that there will be differences depending on the sports. But it was fully agreed that, as the IOC, we should place emphasis on protection of the female category.”