Gold medalist Algeria’s Imane Khelif poses during a medals ceremony for the women’s 66 kg final boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics. (AP)
Imane Khelif, the Algerian boxer who was at the centre of a gender row during her gold medal run at this year’s Paris Olympics, is set to take legal action against latest reports in France that have claimed to have accessed a leaked medical report that confirms she is a ‘DSD’ (Differences in Sexual Development) athlete and should not have been able to compete in the women’s category at the Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said.
Khelif, and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu Ting, became embroiled in a massive controversy in Paris, caught in between the standoff between the International Boxing Association (IBA) and the IOC. The IBA — which has been suspended by the IOC, complicating the matter and the politics behind it — had disqualified both athletes during the World Championships in New Delhi in 2023, for allegedly failing gender tests. The IOC allowed them to compete claiming the IBA did not have sufficient evidence.
The latest report, published by journalist Djaffar Ait Aoudia, said that Khelif’s condition resulted in her having internal testicles and an XY chromosome makeup, which may signal a genetic condition known as 5-alpha reductase deficiency.
In response to the claims, an IOC spokesperson told The Times newspaper: “We understand that Imane Khelif has taken legal action against individuals who commented on her situation during the Olympic Games Paris 2024, and is also preparing a lawsuit in response to the latest reporting. The IOC will not comment while legal action is ongoing, or on media reports about unverified documents whose origin cannot be confirmed.”
The IOC defended its position. “All the athletes who participated in the boxing tournament at Paris 2024 complied with the competition’s eligibility and entry regulations, together with all the applicable medical regulations enacted by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit (PBU). As with previous Olympic boxing competitions, the gender and age of the athletes were based on their passport details.,” the spokesperson added. “The IOC is saddened by the abuse that Imane Khelif is currently receiving.”
Already at loggerheads, the IBA was quick to go after the IOC over the leaked medical report. ” The International Olympic Committee has violated all sports rules by putting a man against a woman. I demand that Thomas Bach and his team both verbally and in writing, apologizse to the global boxing community,” IBA president Umar Kremlev said.
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