Women’s sports activists react after boxer Imane Khelif confessed about biological sex
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Boxer Imane Khelif admitted to having the SRY gene, located on the Y chromosome, found in biological males, and undergoing hormonal treatments to reduce testosterone levels ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games in an interview with the French sports publication L’Equipe..
Khelif has denied being transgender.
“We all have different genetics, different hormone levels. I’m not transgender. My difference is natural. This is who I am. I haven’t done anything to change the way nature made me. That’s why I’m not afraid,” Khelif said.
““I have taken hormonal treatments to lower my testosterone levels for competitions.”
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Imane Khelif, right, of Algeria and Luca Anna Hamori of Hungary during a boxing match. (Sina Schuldt/Picture Alliance via Getty Images)
Khelif pledged to also take a genetic sex test to compete in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, which will likely be mandatory.
“For the next Games, if I have to take a test, I will do it. I have no problem with that,” Khelif said.
The Independent Council for Women’s Sports (ICONS) issued a statement addressing Khelif’s admission.
“Algeria’s women’s Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif has confirmed that she is a man. With men no longer eligible for Olympic women’s boxing under World Boxing rules, Khelif reportedly plans to box professionally in Europe, although she inexplicably says she will still undergo a gender test for the 2028 Los Angeles Games in hopes of competing,” the statement said.
USOPC LEADERS ADDRESS PROTECTION OF WOMEN’S SPORTS AND USE OF SEXUAL TESTING AMID GLOBAL RESISTANCE TO TRANS ATHLETES
Imane Khelif of Algeria, right, defeated Angela Carini of Italy in their women’s 66-kilogram preliminary boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Aug. 1, 2024, in Paris. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Khelif won a gold medal in women’s boxing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games under intense scrutiny by the International Boxing Association (IBA), which was deregistered by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2023 amid concerns about the organization’s governance, financial dependence on Russian state energy company Gazprom and the integrity of the fights.
Khelif was previously disqualified from the IBA for failing a gender eligibility test. IBA president Umar Kremlev claimed at the time that unpublished DNA test results showed Khelif had XY chromosomes.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) defended the results of the Paris Games, stating that Khelif and another boxer facing gender eligibility issues were victims of a “sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA.”
World Boxing, the sport’s international governing body, announced a new policy in August introducing mandatory sex testing to ensure only women compete in the women’s category. Khelif has appealed the new policy that will keep the athlete out of any competition pending the results of genetic testing.
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Imane Khelif of Algeria, right, against Luca Anna Hamori of Hungary during a women’s 66 kilogram quarterfinal round match at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the North Paris Arena on Aug. 3, 2024, in Paris. (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Khelif did not compete in an international boxing tournament in the Netherlands last summer after failing to register in time before applications closed.
President Donald Trump previously said there will be a “strong form of testing” when asked about possible genetic testing for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics at a press conference on August 5.
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Jackson Thompson is a sports reporter for News Digital covering critical political and cultural issues in sports, with an investigative lens. Jackson’s reporting has been cited in federal government actions related to Title IX enforcement and in mainstream media outlets such as The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The News and ESPN.com.