Gender Debate On Olympic Gold Medalist "Imane Khelif" Sparks Outrage And Legal Action

The coach of Olympic Gold medalist Imane Khelif has inadvertently revealed that a "problem with chromosomes" led to her being banned from women's boxing competitions last year. The International Boxing Association (IBA) disqualified Khelif after medical tests suggested she was "biologically male." However, the Olympics allowed her to compete as a woman because her passport identified her as female.

Georges Cazorla, Khelif’s coach, confirmed that the tests highlighted "a problem with hormones" and "with chromosomes," implying she may have XY chromosomes, typically associated with males. “This poor young girl was devastated, devastated to suddenly discover that she might not be a girl,” Cazorla told French magazine Le Point.

Khelif's overwhelming power in the ring was on full display during the Olympics, where she swiftly defeated Italy’s Angela Carini in just 46 seconds. Carini, a police officer from Naples, said she had "never been hit so hard" in her life. Khelif’s dominance also raised concerns among other coaches, with Spain’s national coach, Rafa Lozano, revealing that she was deemed too dangerous to pair with female boxers during a training retreat in Madrid.

Despite the controversy, Khelif has been celebrated as a national hero in Algeria after her victory over China’s Yang Liu in the final. She was even chosen as one of Algeria’s flag bearers for the Olympic closing ceremony in Paris.

The success of Khelif, along with Taiwan's Gold medalist Lin Yu-Ting, has intensified pressure on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to revisit the criteria for women’s competition. The IOC, which ceased chromosomal testing in 1999 and stopped testing for elevated testosterone levels in 2021, maintains that all athletes in the women’s category comply with current eligibility rules. “They are women in their passports, and it’s stated that this is the case,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams reiterated.

However, not all are convinced. Mexican boxer Brianda Tamara Cruz, who fought Khelif in 2022, said she felt lucky to escape with her life. “I was hurt a lot by the punches,” Cruz said, noting she had never experienced such power, even in sparring with men.

Olympics chief Thomas Bach defended Khelif’s right to compete but acknowledged the need for a "scientifically solid system." The IBA, however, condemned the "inconsistencies in eligibility" at the Paris Games, arguing that neither Khelif nor Lin Yu-Ting met the criteria to compete in the female category based on their testing.

Following her victory, Khelif has taken legal action against online harassment, filing a complaint with French prosecutors. “Having just won a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, the boxer Imane Khelif has decided to take on a new fight: that of justice, dignity, and honor,” her lawyer Nabil Boud said.

In a press conference, Khelif affirmed, “I am a woman like any woman. I was born a woman, and I have lived as a woman, but there are enemies to success, and they can’t digest my success.” She also condemned the immoral attacks against her on social media, vowing to change minds worldwide.