There is a wide-ranging discussion in the media about the gender of Imane Khelif – in this text we take a look at what exactly is known in the case and whether there are grounds to accuse the athlete of cheating.
Analysis in a nutshell
- There are many things that have appeared on the web reports on the gender of the Algerian athlete Imane Khelifwho is competing in boxing at this year’s games in France. According to some commentators (1, 2, 3, 4) the competitor is a man and therefore cheats during the fight due to unequal strength.
- International Olympic Committee (MKOI) ruledthat a boxer is a woman and should be able to compete as a woman. In turn, the Algerian Olympic Committee (COA) he commented to the allegations and condemned the accusations that the athlete is transgender.
- Gender reassignment in Algeria is illegaland MKOI It determines assignment of players to categories based, among other things, on the information contained in their passports.
The text was updated on August 2, 2024 with additional information on announcements by the International Olympic Committee, the International Boxing Association and contextual content on the legality of gender reassignment in Algeria.
In recent days a lot of controversy arouses the participation of some female athletes in the Olympic Games in Paris. On the web they are accused of transgender and unequal struggle with other women. False reports on this topic were related to, among others, the participation of a Mexican woman The old Awiti Alcarazwhich we wrote about in the previous text. This time we will take a closer look at the case Imane Khelif from Algeria, which on Thursday she won fight in the 1/8 finals at the Olympics after her rival she gave up.
On the last day of July, politicians such as Paul Jablonski (PiS) and Gregory Płaczek (Confederation), shared information that Imane Khelif is not a boxer, but a boxer who takes part in fights with women, which gives him an advantage. “The photo shows a “fighter” from Algeria – and in reality, Mr. Imane Khelif, pretending to be a woman, who is apparently too weak to fight men – so he came up with the idea of beating women in the ring” [pisownia oryginalna] – we read in one of the entries.
Source: www.facebook.com, 31/07/2024
Similar information was provided by other sources on Facebook and TikTok (1, 2, 3, 4), who also decided to deny the fairness of Imane Khelif’s participation in fights with other women due to her allegedly hidden gender.
Source: www.facebook.com, 30/07/2024
Olympic committees comment on the case – allegations condemned
At the end of July, the International Olympic Committee (MKOI) ruledthat a boxer is a woman and should be able to compete as a woman. In another message passed onthat: “all athletes participating in the boxing tournament of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are subject to the qualification and participation regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations.”
In turn, the Algerian Olympic Committee (COA) he commented to the allegations and condemned the accusations that the athlete is transgender. In this case presented official statement on social media:
“The Algerian Olympic Committee (COA) strongly condemns the malicious and unethical attacks directed by some foreign media against our athlete Imane Khelif. These attempts at defamation based on lies are completely unfair, especially at a crucial moment when she is preparing for the Olympic Games, the pinnacle of her career. The COA has taken all necessary measures to protect our champion. […] Such attacks on her personality are completely immoral and incorrect.”
In early August, the International Olympic Committee also issued a letter another statement in the case in which it was stated that the information about the gender of some players was misleading, thus referring to the allegations against Imane Khelif.
“In the reports We have seen misleading information about two athletes taking part in the Paris 2024 Olympic GamesBoth athletes have competed in international boxing competitions in the women’s category for many years, including the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the International Boxing Association (IBA) World Championships and IBA sanctioned tournaments. […] This two the players fell victim to a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA. At the end of the 2023 IBA World Championships, they were suddenly disqualified without due process. According to IBA protocols available on their website, this decision was initially taken solely by the IBA Secretary General and Director General. The IBA Board only ratified it later and only later requested that a procedure for dealing with similar cases in the future be established and included in the IBA Rules.”
Why does the case of Imane Khelif generate so much discussion in the media?
Many commentators accuse Imane Khelif of fraud (1, 2, 3, 4) due to the masculine appearance of the face and the heavily muscled figure, but this is not the only issue in this case. It all started in 2023, when the Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi. It was then, a few hours before the gold medal fight of Imane Khelif, by the decision of the International Boxing Association (DIFFERENT) she stayed disqualified due to failure to meet the qualification criteria set out in the IBA Rules for women’s competitions. The federation said that: “she did not undergo a testosterone level test, but was subjected to a separate and recognized test, the details of which remain confidential.”
Prezesem International Boxing Association (DIFFERENT) is Russian Umar Kremlinand the main sponsor – Russian Gazprom. Federation it remains in a dispute with the International Olympic Committee. In 2019 suspended her because of problems related to management, finances, refereeing and other ethical issues.
In 2023 Umar Kremlin he passed onthat the athlete had XY chromosomes detected, however – what is important for the quality of information – apart from his a statement currently there are no at least two primary sources that would confirm the detection of Imane Khelif’s XY chromosomes. In March 2023, the athlete she accusedthat these accusations were a “conspiracy” against her. There is currently no publicly available document that would indicate the athlete’s other gender. However, the IBA in announcement from July 2024 supports her opinion and still stands by her position that a competitor should not compete with other women because of the advantage.
It should be noted that gender reassignment in Algeria is illegaland MKOI It determines assignment of players to categories based, among other things, on the information contained in their passports.
It is worth knowing that in some cases it may develop diseases and disorderswhich cause the development of XY chromosomes in women (e.g. Swyer’s syndromewhich is rare genetic disease). In such a situation, it is possible to detect two chromosomes in a woman, but it should be emphasized that in this case too there are no credible reports of the athlete suffering from this disease.
There is no credible evidence that Khelif is hiding her gender
The athlete has participated in the past many fightsin which both She has both won and lost due to the clash with stronger rivals. At this year’s games, Imane Khelif is competing as woman and for the rest of your life she didn’t inform about undergoing gender reassignment.
High testosterone levels don’t necessarily mean a woman is a man. But it can mean that she is, in fact, Hormonal problemswhich can occur as a result of various diseases or disorders. This is not the first such story. In 2021, the case of Namibian female athletes gained attention worldwide Christine Mboma and Beatrice Masilingwho were excluded from some races because their natural testosterone levels exceeded the established limit.
In the world of sports it continues discussion whether in the case of such women there is unfair competition or whether testosterone tests should be modified or abolished.
