Imane Khelif is an Algerian boxer who is at the centre of a controversy about gender identity after her participation in the 2024 Paris Olympics. This debate focuses on the exact status of her sex and her eligibility to fight in the women’s boxing. This matter surfaced originally when she was disqualified from the 2023 IBA Women’s World Championships due to gender eligibility issues.
The controversy at the Olympics was sparked by Khelif’s walk in the park win against Italian pugilist Angela Carini, a situation that flooded all social media platforms with polemics of speculations, and allegations based on her biological sex.
Imane Khelif background information
Imane Khelif is a 25 year old from Tiaret, Algeria. She has had an excellent amateur boxing career. She fought for her country in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and boasted several regional medals under her name from different competitions. But controversy hit her career after her most recent disqualification from the 2023 IBA Women’s World Championships. The IBA stated that Khelif had XY chromosomes which usually belong to biological men (women generally have XX sex chromosomes), and thus, she was disqualified for the competition amongst other athletes. According to the IBA president, Umar Kremlev, DNA tests had been carried out to ensure fair competition in the sport, and whoever did not meet the eligibility was ruled out.
Despite these allegations, Khelif’s passport indicated that she was a woman, and she had always competed in women’s events. She is also homologated to compete at the Olympics by the International Olympic Committee, which has insisted that she meets the eligibility criteria required.
Gender eligibility controversy
The controversy surrounding Khelif is part of a wider debate about the issue of gender identity in sports, specifically athletes with differences in sex development. In other words, people with Differences in Sex Development (DSD) have biological features not corresponding to the traditional definition of male or female, including chromosome and hormonal differences. Reports say that in the case of Khelif, she was ruled out of the IBA championships due to the case of “elevated levels of testosterone,” a characteristic that can give an extra advantage in sports.
One of the major thrusts of the guidelines issued by the IOC is that, for any athlete with DSD to be eligible to compete in any women’s category, the testosterone levels should not be above 2.5 nmol/L and should remain this way for at least 24 months without reducing. The policy, therefore, allows DSD athletes to compete provided that they do so with fair testosterone levels. Khelif’s case presents an obvious complexity in these regulations—that it is hard for a large number of athletes to find their way through their identities within competitive sports.
Mixed reactions and significant implications
The participation of Khelif in the Olympics has caused huge public debate. Particularly, after her fight against Carini, which was stopped just 46 seconds after the start, many bloggers and social network users continued to call Khelif “biologically male” and stated that it was not fair for her to box with women. The sentiment has been echoed by several political figures, including former President Donald Trump, who is avidly against the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sporting activities. Trump pledged to work on safeguarding women’s sports from what appears to him as unfair competition from biological males. Note that Khelif is not trans – she was considered a female at birth, grew up as a girl, and her official documentation states that she is female.
Top Italian officials, among them Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, have stated that the whole integrity of the sport for women is at stake: athletes with male genetic characteristics should not compete against women. This position manifests itself in the increasing rift in public opinion concerning the place of transgender and intersex athletes within the women’s category, with the one side arguing in favor of fairness and inclusivity and, on the other side, critics emphasizing that the rights of female athletes have to be protected.
Equality and fairness in sports
The Imane Khelif case is symbolic of the debate on gender identity in sport and opens up important questions regarding biological sex, fairness, and the rights of athletes. Although Khelif identifies as a woman and competes under that designation, her disqualification from the IBA championships and possible disqualification from the Olympics brought forth continuous arguments on the many issues that still remain at the core of competing in sport on gender basis. With evolving athletic activities, equal consideration is nowadays placed on the development of clear and no-less-fair rules and regulations under which all athletes could compete fairly and safely.
