PARIS — Olympic champion Imane Khelif sustained an injury to her left shoulder during training over the weekend, leading to the postponement of a professional fight planned for later this month in Paris.
Organizers announced on Monday that her bout on April 23 at the renowned Salle Wagram in the French capital against German boxer Julia Igel has been delayed, with a new date yet to be determined.
“This decision comes in light of the injury incurred by Imane Khelif during a training session this weekend in Paris,” the organizers stated.
A medical assessment conducted on Monday indicated “a painful syndrome in the left shoulder,” they reported. “Given the intensity of the biomechanical demands associated with elite boxing, the medical team concluded that the athlete’s condition is temporarily unsuitable for competition.”
The event was also scheduled to include two bouts for WBA titles, prompting organizers to opt for rescheduling the entire evening.
“The health and physical safety of our athletes is our utmost priority. We wish Imane Khelif a swift recovery. At an event of this caliber, which includes WBA championships, it was crucial to ensure optimal conditions for all participating boxers,” stated former boxer Brahim Asloum, the promoter of the event.
Organizers also mentioned that tickets already purchased will be refunded.
Khelif secured the Olympic gold at the 2024 Paris Games amid international scrutiny regarding her and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting — another gold medalist — and misunderstandings concerning both boxers’ gender.
Both athletes were permitted to compete by the IOC after being disqualified from the 2023 world championships by the Russian-dominated International Boxing Association, which claimed the women did not meet unspecified eligibility criteria.
However, the IOC applied gender eligibility regulations from previous Olympics and confirmed that Khelif and Lin met the requirements.
World Boxing assumed governance of the sport last year and introduced a gender eligibility policy last August, mandating all fighters to undergo a one-time genetic test aimed at detecting the presence of a Y chromosome. Khelif has not participated in World Boxing-sanctioned events since the policy’s implementation.
