Boxing chiefs DENY they stripped 25-year-old gender feud boxer Imane Khelif of her Olympic gold medal in Paris

The World Boxing Organization (WBO) has denied that Olympic champion Imane Khelif was stripped of her gold medal for failing gender eligibility tests, calling the reports “clearly fake and ill-intentioned.”

The 25-year-old Algerian sparked controversy at this year’s Paris Olympics after it emerged she had previously been banned from the World Championships after allegedly failing a gender test.

Khelif, 25, who won women’s welterweight gold this summer, is taking legal action over alleged online harassment she has received over the gender row.

Now the controversy has apparently been reignited following a report from an online sports blog claiming Khelif had been given a lifetime ban from boxing by the WBO and stripped of her medal.

However, because Kehlif is an amateur boxer, the WBO would have no jurisdiction and the boxing authority has since denied any false claims.

The 25-year-old Algerian (pictured) caused controversy at this year’s Paris Olympics after it emerged she had previously been excluded from the World Championships

Khelif, 25, who won women’s welterweight gold this summer, is taking legal action over the alleged online harassment she has received

Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng and Algeria’s Imane Khelif (blue) will compete in the semi-finals of the women’s 66kg boxing competition at this year’s Olympic Games

In a statement, the WBO said: ‘The World Boxing Organization has said it has neither tested nor banned female boxer Imane Khelif, who won a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics boxing tournament.

“The report claiming that the WBO has banned Khelif is patently false.

‘We have had no communication with Khelif. We congratulate her and wish her the best of luck in all her future endeavors.”

WBO lawyer Gustavo Olivieri added: “Any report that claims otherwise is clearly bogus and ill-intentioned.

“She worked hard to earn that medal.”

The World Championships were organized by the Russian-led International Boxing Association (IBA).

But it was later stripped of world governing status by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over integrity and governance issues.

The IOC also questioned the credibility and legitimacy of the IBA’s gender tests, saying they cannot be relied on.

Imane Khelif of Team Algeria poses for a photo after winning the gold medal at this year’s Paris Games

“JK Rowling and Elon Musk, among others, are named in the lawsuit,” Khelif’s lawyer wrote on X

Nabil Boudi told Variety that the Tesla magnate (pictured) and the Harry Potter author were both named in the indictment

After her Olympic victory, Khelif said she had been the victim of “bullying” and that the IBA “hates me and I really don’t know why.”

She added: “I was born a woman. I have lived as a woman. I participated as a woman, there is no doubt about that.’

Elon Musk and JK Rowling were named in a lawsuit filed with French authorities for alleged “acts of aggravated cyber harassment” after protesting Khelif’s participation in the Paris Olympics.

Nabil Boudi, the gold medalist’s Paris-based lawyer, told Variety that the Tesla magnate and the Harry Potter author were both named in the indictment.

“JK Rowling and Elon Musk, among others, are named in the lawsuit,” Boudi wrote on X, noting that Donald Trump would also be part of the investigation.

Possible consequences for cyberbullying in France include prison sentences ranging from two to five years and fines ranging from £26,000 to £39,000.

If perpetrators are prosecuted for online hate speech, they could even be fined between £64,000 and £214,000.