On 1 August, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif squared up against Italy's Angela Carini at the Paris Olympics. The bout ended within a minute after Carini walked back to her corner and then decided to forfeit.
Soon after the bout ended, a major controversy erupted on social media platforms with several users identifying Khelif as a 'biological male' and a 'transgender'. People also criticised the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for allowing the Algerian boxer to participate in the tournament.
Public figures like JK Rowling, former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, and Lok Sabha MP Kangana Ranaut shared posts claiming that Khelif was a male who was allowed to compete in the women's category.
Through this story, we will look at what the controversy is about and how people are misidentifying the Algerian boxer.
What is the controversy about?: The controversy mostly stemmed from the fact that Khelif was banned from the 2023 World Boxing Championships.
The now-unrecognised, Russia-dominated International Boxing Association (IBA) had disqualified Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting from the tournament after they failed to "meet the eligibility criteria for participating in the women’s competition."
However, it noted that the boxers had not undergone a testosterone examination but a different recognised test.
It said that the two athletes had a "competitive advantage" over others.
The decision was taken in March 2023, right before Khelif was supposed to compete for the gold medal in the tournament.
Khelif's boxing career: The athlete was born on 2 May 1999 in Algeria and has competed in the women's category of several tournaments worldwide.
Ironically, the Algerian boxer had previously competed in the 2019 Women's World Boxing Championships, which was organised by IBA (previously known as AIBA).
She won the Gold medal in the women's 63 kg category at the 2022 Mediterranean Games in Oran, Algeria.
Track record at the Olympics: Khelif had represented her country at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the 60 kg women's boxing category. She had reached the quarter-final stage; however, she was later eliminated from the tournament after losing her bout with Ireland's Kellie Harrington. Harrington later went on to win the Gold.
How is Khelif competing in Paris Olympics after disqualification from IBA?: The IOC had withdrawn the recognition of the IBA in June 2023 after it failed to "fulfil the conditions set by the IOC in its decision communicated to the IBA on 9 December 2021."
The IOC Executive Board had then decided to create an ad-hoc unit called 'Paris 2024 Boxing Unit' to organise boxing qualifying tournaments and for conducting the final competition at the Olympics.
As per the conditions laid by the IOC in 2021, it said the eligibility criteria should be given with a view of not providing disproportionate competitive advantage, to prevent the risk to the safety of other athletes, etc.
What did the IOC say?: Without naming the two athletes, the body said that the aggression is based on the sudden decision taken by the IBA. The IOC termed the IBA's decision of disqualifying both the athletes as "arbitrary" and "without any proper procedure."
It mentioned that the "two athletes have been competing in international boxing competitions for many years in the women’s category."
Earlier, in an interview, IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said that everybody competing in the women's category has complied with the eligibility rules for the competition. He added that all those competing are females and their passports indicate the same.
On 4 August, an IOC spokesperson said that the IBA tests that led to their disqualification were faulty and illegitimate.
"Those tests are not legitimate tests. The tests themselves, the process of the tests, the ad hoc nature of the tests are not legitimate," Adams told a press conference, as per Reuters.
What is Differences of Sexual Development (DSD)?: As per the new guidelines of IBA, it defines Male as individuals with XY chromosome and Female as persons with XX chromosome. The gender test could be taken for boxers, which would serve as the "gender eligibility criteria."
An article published on a website named 'HealthyChildren.org' said that some females with Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome have a Y chromosome but their body "does not respond typically to the testosterone produced." It said that these individuals develop and often identify as females.
In a different case, females can produce too much testosterone due to a condition Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia. However, most of them still identify as females.
It should be noted that there is no confirmation that if Khelif indeed has DSD.
While the speculations of the athlete being a transgender or a man is completely untrue, the level of hatred directed towards a sportsperson by such prominent people without a proper verification should definitely raise questions.
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