Much has been said online about Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and the controversy surrounding her gender after her victory against Italian boxer Angela Carini.
In March 2023, Imane Khelif was disqualified from the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships before her gold medal bout against Yang Liu due to elevated testosterone levels. This disqualification occurred shortly after her victory over Azalia Amineva, restoring the Russian boxer’s unbeaten record.
The controversy escalated after Italy’s Angela Carini withdrew from their match after just 46 seconds, stating that Khelif’s punches were too strong. Carini explained that she needed to “preserve my life” and that “one punch hurt too much” for her to continue. She was seen crying on her knees, which fueled rumors about Khelif’s gender on social media, further amplified by figures like former President Donald Trump. Trump, author J.K. Rowling, and several other Republican figures and conservative commentators labeled Imane Khelif a “man” following her swift victory.
Carini apologised the following day to Khelif on La Gazzetta dello Sport, Italian newspaper, stating, “All this controversy makes me sad […] I’m sorry for my opponent, too. If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision.”
In an interview with Sky Sports, Khelif’s father stated, “My child is a girl. She was raised as a girl. She’s a strong girl. I raised her to be hard-working and brave. She has a strong will to work and to train.”
While other sports have detailed guidelines regarding transgender athletes and hormone levels, boxing relies on rules from the 2016 Olympics that determine eligibility based on an athlete’s passport. This approach persists amid ongoing conflicts between the International Boxing Association (IBA) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
“The current hostility towards these athletes stems from the IBA’s arbitrary decision, which lacked proper procedure,” stated IOC’s Mark Adams. “Such harmful, unfounded attacks are misogynistic and can result in spreading misinformation.”
Carini later expressed regret for not shaking hands with Khelif after the fight, acknowledging that it was unintentional. She apologised, stating, “I didn’t mean to do that. I want to apologise to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had ended in disappointment.”
Ireland’s Amy Broadhurst, one of the nine women to have defeated Imane Khelif in her 41-9 record, defended Khelif on social media, asserting that she “has done nothing to cheat.”
Broadhurst wrote, “I have had a lot of people texting me about Imane Khelif. Personally, I don’t think she has done anything to ‘cheat’. I think it’s the way she was born and that’s out of her control. The fact that she has been beaten by nine females before says it all.”
Imane Khelif, a biologically female athlete, has faced scrutiny due to her elevated testosterone levels caused by a rare condition known as Differences in Sex Development (DSD). Despite these challenges, it is crucial to acknowledge that Khelif was born and raised as a female.
