The Algerian boxer Imaë Khelif was disqualified by participation in the 2025 women’s world boxing championship after a DNA test, apparently solicited by the billionaire Elon Musk, revealed that it has XY chromosomes. The International Boxing Federation (IBA) has established that Khelif, who competed in women’s boxing for years, would no longer be suitable for competing in the female category.

The shocking revelation has rekindled ferocious debates on justice, on biological benefits and the role of public figures in influencing sports policies.

The role of Elon Musk in the dispute
The controversy exploded after Musk, Tesla and Spacex CEO, used his X platform (previously Twitter) to question the suitability of Khelif to compete in women’s boxing. Citing the biological differences, Musk urged IBA to carry out a DNA test on Khelif, claiming that “loyal competition in women’s sports must be protected”.

After his declaration, IBA made an official review, which led to the genetic test that confirmed that Khelif has XY chromosomes. This decision involved its immediate disqualification, and officials have declared that its genetic composition “offers a considerable advantage over the other competitors”.

Khelif’s reaction: “I’m devastated”
The decision left Khelif upset and devastated. In a statement to the Algerian media, he expressed his pain for the accident.

“I have always identified myself as a woman. I trained, competed and worked as a woman. This decision is right, and I feel that my whole career has been deleted in an instant,” said Khelif.

It is said that his legal team is exploring options to challenge the sentence, calling it “a direct attack on his identity and rights as an athlete”.

Reaction and political debate
The decision unleashed a world storm, with defense groups, politicians and sports analysts divided on the matter.

LGBTQ+ organizations and women’s rights groups condemned the measure, accusing the IBA of giving in to external pressure and violating the rights of Khelif.

“This establishes a dangerous precedent in which billionaires like Elon Musk can put pressure on sports organizations to make decisions based on ideology instead of science,” said a spokesman for a European group for human rights.

On the other hand, some athletes and sports officials praised the decision, claiming that he defends the integrity of women’s sports.

Former boxing champion Claressa Shields weighed the words and declared: “Justice is important. We trained our lives to compete in equality conditions. This regulation protects it”.

The Imaë Khelif Future
While the debate continues, Khelif’s future in boxing remains uncertain. IBA has not indicated if it will be allowed to compete in a different category, leaving her athletic career pending. In the meantime, Elon Musk’s participation in the dispute feeds debates on the role of technological billionaires in global sports governance.

With the 2025 female boxing world championship on the horizon, one thing is clear: this decision will have long -lasting implications for the future of women’s athletics and for the ongoing debate on the genre in competitive sports.