Imane Khelif At The Heart of Olympic Gender Controversy: What’s the Real Story?

Italian boxer Angela Carini, visibly upset and in tears, withdrew from her 66 kg bout against Algeria’s Imane Khelif after just 46 seconds. During that brief period, Carini was struck twice and suffered a suspected broken nose, leading to her decision to leave the fight. This incident quickly sparked a major controversy surrounding the Paris Olympics.

The controversy intensified on social media, with many questioning the fairness of the match and labeling Khelif as “biologically male” and “transgender.” This issue was compounded by Khelif’s previous disqualification from the 2023 World Championships in New Delhi due to “elevated levels of testosterone.” Another athlete, Lin Yu-Ting from Taiwan, faced a similar disqualification last year. A gender eligibility test revealed that Khelif had XY chromosomes, which are typically found in males, while most women have XX chromosomes.

International Boxing Association (IBA) president Umar Kremlev accused Khelif of attempting to “deceive” and “pretend to be women.”

The discrepancy in eligibility rules is due to the involvement of two different organizations: the IBA, which oversaw the World Championships and has since been banned for corruption, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), responsible for boxing at the Paris Olympics. The IOC has different medical standards and has deemed Khelif and Lin eligible to compete. According to IOC spokesperson Mark Adams, “They are women on their passports, they are women who have competed in the Tokyo Olympics and have been competing for many years.”

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The controversy centers on the IOC’s recent policy change regarding testosterone levels. Under the new guidelines, athletes no longer need to undergo hormone-level adjustments to compete, and testosterone is not seen as a definitive factor in physical advantage.

Khelif, who has been criticized on social media by prominent figures including author JK Rowling and tech billionaire Elon Musk, does not identify as transgender or intersex. Former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss criticized the situation, stating, “Men cannot become women.” Rowling also voiced her disapproval, saying, “This isn’t sport. From the bullying cheat in red all the way up to the organizers who allowed this to happen, this is men revelling in their power over women.”