{"id":463406,"date":"2025-09-30T15:34:17","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T15:34:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/463406\/"},"modified":"2025-09-30T15:34:17","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T15:34:17","slug":"olympic-gender-row-champion-imane-khelif-makes-emphatic-statement-after-being-banned-from-boxing-and-being-announced-as-face-of-a-beauty-brand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/463406\/","title":{"rendered":"Olympic gender row champion Imane Khelif makes emphatic statement after being banned from boxing – and being announced as face of a beauty brand"},"content":{"rendered":"

By TAMARA PRENN, SENIOR SPORTS REPORTER<\/a> <\/p>\n

Published: 10:47 EDT, 30 September 2025 | Updated: 10:56 EDT, 30 September 2025 <\/p>\n

Olympic gender row fighter Imane Khelif has been announced as the face of a beauty brand as her challenge to world boxing rolls on.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Algerian athlete rose to global prominence as she won gold at the Paris 2024 – but her inclusion in the contest sparked controversy amid claims that she had allegedly failed a gender eligibility test the previous year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The International Boxing Association disqualified Khelif and Tawin’s Lin Yu-ting<\/a> – who also competed at the Olympics<\/a> last summer – from their World Championships.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Since the dispute in Paris, World Boxing have since confirmed that fighters will be required to undergo mandatory sex screening to compete in their events.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The new regulations led to scores of women barred from competing<\/a> at the amateur World Championship in Liverpool<\/a> this year after missing the deadline to submit their tests.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Khelif has not competed since the tests have been introduced, but the 26-year-old has since taken her fight to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in a bid to compete without being tested.<\/p>\n

\"Olympic <\/p>\n

Olympic star Imane Khelif is the face of a new beauty campaign for Algerian brand Bel*nco\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The 26-year-old rose to prominence during her controversy gold medal campaign in Paris<\/p>\n

Amid the maelstrom of controversy however, Khelif has opted to take on a new role, starring in a campaign which references her personal story.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Announced on Instagram with an image of Khelif emblazoned with the message, ‘the champ is here’, the Algerian star is now the face of Bel*nco, a brand with roots in her native country.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘Confidence takes the stage,’ the caption read. ‘We are proud to announce Imane Khelif as the face of BEL*NCO.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘She embodies strength, resilience, and grace. The perfect reflection of what skin with attitude truly means.’\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the campaign teaser video, Khelif is seated at a press conference, before stepping into the ring.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Her voiceover, an apparent message to her critics, states: ‘They said boxing wasn’t for me. They said I would stop one day.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘They said I was too much for the ring. Now, they say I’m not enough for beauty? So I proved them wrong…’\u00a0<\/p>\n

The company is now advertising how clients can ‘glow like a champion’ by using the products that Khelif is promoting.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"In <\/p>\n

In the campaign teaser video, Khelif is captured attending a packed-out press conference<\/p>\n

\"In <\/p>\n

In a case of art imitating life, Khelif appeared to hit back at her critics in an emotional voiceover<\/p>\n

\"Khelif <\/p>\n

Khelif is in the midst of appealing to compete without gender eligibility testing with CAS<\/p>\n

\"Last <\/p>\n

Last month the fighter was forced to confirm that she had not retired after reports put out by her former representative<\/p>\n

Last month, Khelif insisted that she had not retired<\/a>, despite reports to the contrary stemming from her former representative Nasser Yesfah.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Khelif wrote on Facebook: ‘I would like to make it clear to the public that the reports of my retirement from boxing are false.<\/p>\n

She then said Yesfah had ‘betrayed (her) trust and (her) country with his false and malicious statements’.<\/p>\n

‘This person no longer represents me in any way,’ she said.<\/p>\n

‘I have never announced my retirement from boxing. I remain committed to my sporting career, I train regularly and I maintain my physical condition between Algeria and Qatar in preparation for upcoming events.’<\/p>\n

The new rules brought in by World Boxing state that fighters must take a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) or functional medical equivalent genetic screening test to certify their eligibility to fight.<\/p>\n

These tests are carried out through testing saliva, blood or a nasal or mouth swab.<\/p>\n

Those deemed to be male at birth with a Y chromosome or with a difference where male androgenisation has taken place, will not be eligible to compete with women.<\/p>\n

The president of World Boxing, Boris van der Vorst said: ‘World Boxing respects the dignity of all individuals and is keen to ensure it is as inclusive as possible, yet in a combat sport like boxing, we have a duty of care to deliver safety and competitiveness fairness which are the key principles that have guided the development and creation of this policy.’<\/p>\n

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