Olympic champion Imane Khelif has taken on a new public role, becoming the face of Algerian beauty brand Bel*nco while her legal case with boxing authorities continues.
The 26-year-old, who drew global attention during her controversial gold medal run at Paris 2024, is challenging new mandatory gender testing rules that have kept her out of competition.
Bel*nco announced the partnership through an Instagram campaign with the slogan “the champ is here.” Their statement read:
“Confidence takes the stage. We are proud to announce Imane Khelif as the face of BELNCO. She embodies strength, resilience, and grace. The perfect reflection of what skin with attitude truly means.”
The promotional video shows Khelif moving from a press conference to a boxing ring, addressing critics directly. In a voiceover, she says:
“They said boxing wasn’t for me. They said I would stop one day. They said I was too much for the ring. Now, they say I’m not enough for beauty? So I proved them wrong…”
Khelif’s career has been marked by intense scrutiny. She first gained global attention when the International Boxing Association disqualified her and Lin Yu-ting from the World Championships over alleged gender eligibility test failures. Both still competed at Paris 2024, where Khelif won Olympic gold.
Since then, boxing’s governing body, World Boxing, has introduced new regulations requiring competitors to undergo genetic screening through PCR tests or medical equivalents. These tests use saliva, blood, or nasal swabs to determine chromosomal composition, and anyone determined to have male characteristics at birth is barred from women’s divisions.
The consequences have been significant. Many female athletes were excluded from this year’s amateur World Championships in Liverpool after missing the deadline to submit test results. Khelif has not competed since the rules were introduced.
Rather than accept the ban, she has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, arguing for the right to compete without the mandatory testing.
Boris van der Vorst, president of World Boxing, defended the policy:
“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.”
Despite speculation, Khelif insists she is not retiring. Last month, she publicly denied rumors sparked by comments from former representative Nasser Yesfah. On Facebook, she wrote:
“I would like to make it clear to the public that the reports of my retirement from boxing are false.”
She also accused Yesfah of having
“betrayed (her) trust and (her) country with his false and malicious statements”
and confirmed that
“this person no longer represents me in any way.”
She reiterated her commitment to the sport:
“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.”
Bel*nco’s campaign positions Khelif as more than just an athlete at the center of a regulatory dispute. The brand now markets products under the tagline “glow like a champion,” linking her public image to confidence and defiance.
While she continues training and pursues her case with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Khelif’s new role signals she is unwilling to disappear quietly — and intends to keep challenging how the boxing world defines who belongs in the ring.
