Imane Khelif Faces Mandatory SRY Sex Test After IOC Ban
imane khelif is among athletes who will be required to take a once-in-a-lifetime SRY gene sex test after the International Olympic Committee announced that women’s Olympic sports will be limited to biological females from the Los Angeles Olympics; the move is presented as protecting fairness and safety. The IOC said the test will use saliva, cheek swab or blood sampling to detect the SRY gene and will permanently qualify athletes who test negative. The new rule excludes transgender women and athletes with differences in sexual development who have gone through male puberty from competing in the female category.
Imane Khelif: Immediate reactions
Kirsty Coventry, IOC president, framed the change as a protection of competitive integrity and safety, saying: “At the Olympic Games even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat. So it is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category. In addition, in some sports it would simply not be safe. ” The IOC described SRY gene screening as “unintrusive compared to other possible methods” and said athletes who screen negative will permanently satisfy eligibility.
Imane Khelif, Algerian Olympic gold medallist, has publicly said she would accept required testing to compete, stating: “Of course, I would accept doing anything I’m required to do to participate in competitions. They should protect women, but they need to pay attention that while protecting women, they shouldn’t hurt other women. ” That comment was given as discussions over sex eligibility intensified following contested tests and events at the Paris Olympics.
Policy details and athlete impact
The IOC set out a once-in-a-lifetime screening designed to detect the SRY gene on the Y chromosome. The committee said that a negative SRY result will permanently establish eligibility for the female category unless there is reason to believe the negative reading is in error. Athletes who fail the test will remain eligible for male categories, any designated male slot within mixed categories, open categories, or sports and events that do not classify athletes by sex.
The decision centralises sex eligibility at Olympic level after the IOC had previously left rules to individual sports bodies. The committee noted that some sports had already introduced bans or testosterone-based rules, while others allowed transgender women to compete after hormone interventions. The IOC said the policy was “led by medical experts. ” The announcement also said the ban will cover almost all athletes with a Disorder of Sex Development (DSD), a group defined in the policy as involving a mix of male and female characteristics.
What happens next
The IOC said the policy will take effect from the Los Angeles Olympics and described the SRY test as a one-off screening using saliva, cheek swab or blood sample. Athletes will be screened only once in their lifetime where a negative result will settle eligibility for the female category. The move follows high-profile controversies in boxing at the Paris Olympics that involved contested gender eligibility tests for boxers including Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting, and follows earlier federation-level changes such as compulsory testing introduced by World Athletics for major events. The implementation process, counselling and medical advice around the test were referenced by the IOC as elements to accompany the policy, and the immediate focus for affected athletes will be how and when those screenings are arranged for imane khelif.
