Controversy has erupted within the boxing world after Algerian fighter Imane Khelif won her first official match in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Khelif’s victory over her Italian opponent, Angela Carini, caused unrest as accusations were subsequently flung at Khelif, accusing her of having been born as a man and being a transgender competitor―sentiments magnified by the fact that Carini, an experienced amateur boxer, quit in just the first round of the fight.
Adding to the discourse was the fact that Imane Khelif―who currently holds a professional boxing record of one win by knockout―had been barred from competing in the female category of the 2023 IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships organized by the International Boxing Association (IBA). The IBA is an international boxing governing body that sanctions amateur fights, awards, and championships.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), responsible for organizing and promoting the Olympics, recently clarified the exact reasoning why Khelif was initially prevented from competing and why they allowed her to compete in the Olympics.
In their statement, the IOC explains that Imane Khelif was one of two female competitors prevented from competing in the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships by the IBA’s Secretary General and CEO due to the two athletes reportedly having tested with too high testosterone levels attributed to the presence of “XY” chromosomes within their body. XY chromosomes are typically attributed to males and thus suggested both fighters were men rather than women.
Umar Kremlev, president of the IBA at the time, then justified the IBA’s decision by falsely accusing both females of being “transgenders” and trying to “fool” the organization into believing they were women. Prior to this disbarment, both fighters had competed in international amateur boxing competitions for several years, including those organized by the IBA. Imane Khelif had been set to attend the final of the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in 2023 before her impromptu disqualification.
The crux of this issue centered around the gender eligibility test by the IBA, with the IOC explaining that the IBA had admitted to not having established “a clear procedure on gender testing,” which culminated with the IBA ratifying their own prior decision to disqualify both athletes. Khelif would go on to compete in the Olympic qualifiers following her disqualification from the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships, with the IOC further explaining in their statement that the general set rules for gender eligibility in amateur boxing were being adhered to, suggesting that Khelif had been tested accordingly.
The presence of XY chromosomes in both females’ bodies is similar to the case of South African sprinter Caster Semenya, who similarly had to wrestle with disbarments from competition after being deemed to have too much testosterone, despite having been born a female.
Khelif’s match with Angela Carini, held on August 1st, was subject to outcry given Carini’s decision to quit 46 seconds into the fight after deeming she was hit too hard during her match with Khelif. Their fight, which was scheduled for 3 rounds over the course of 3 minutes, ended abruptly. Following her decision to withdraw from the bout, Carini’s decision was praised globally and also saw known figures such as Claressa Shields (15-0, 3 KO’s) launch accusations towards Khelif, while others such as Rick Glaser turned this issue into an opportunity to espouse political beliefs.
A lot of misinformation has contributed to a lack of understanding regarding Imane Khelif, with a substantial portion of the public misunderstanding her disqualification from the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships, initially attributing her elevated testosterone levels to being male.
The IBA has had a number of issues that have resulted in boxing being removed from the Olympics following the current 2024 Paris Olympics. The earlier-mentioned Umar Kremlev has largely been deemed responsible for the decision by the IOC to no longer include boxing, with the gender issue surrounding Khelif’s disbarment from the 2023 Women’s World Boxing Championships perhaps having even aided in this choice to exclude boxing moving forward.
Further facts to denote Khelif is female is that there have been no reports of her testing for unusual levels of testosterones for a woman. Other social media users have also dug up Khelif’s past to confirm photos of her as a female or referenced her Algerian nationality―a country with a strict stance against transgenderism―as further indicators that the controversy surrounding her is steeped in misinformation.
