By: Sammy Wang

Imane Khelif from Algeria is one the Olympic boxers accused during the 2024 Paris Olympics of not being a CIS woman.

This controversy started on Thursday, August 1, 2024, during the Women’s Boxing competitions, when Khelif won against Italian boxer Angela Carini. The match lasted 46 seconds, NBC News reported.

Carini said that, “she had never been punched so hard,” after forfeiting from the match. Her statement along with Khelif’s previous records of failing to meet the gender eligibility test have caused claims that Khelif isn’t a CIS woman to resurface.

These claims have been proven wrong for many reasons; for one, Khelif lives in a country where transitioning your gender from birth is illegal.

“The Algerian boxer was born female, was registered female, lived her life as a female, boxed as a female, has a female passport,” said Mark Adams, chief spokesperson for the IOC, at a news conference Friday, per the AP.

The International Boxing Association (IBA), performed gender testing on Khelif, allegedly finding out that Khelif has XY chromosomes. XY chromosomes are typically found in males, but it is not uncommon for them to be found in females.

Despite receiving backlash on her gender, Khelif continues to remain strong. She will continue to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“I want to tell the entire world that I am a female, and I will remain a female,” Khelif said.

Sources:

https://www.equaldex.com/region/algeria

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTNgRmknA

https://www.today.com/health/news/imane-khelif-boxer-gender-eligibility-controversy-rcna164854