Imane Khelif takes legal action after leaked report claimed she is a ‘biological man’
Paris Olympics gold medallist Imane Khelif has acted quickly after medical records apparently showing she is a man leaked to media.
Boxing/MMA
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Imane Khelif, the Algerian boxer who defied a row over her gender eligibility to win Olympic gold, is taking legal action over media reports about leaked medical records, the International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday.
Reports published in France this week claimed Khelif, 25, has XY, or male, chromosomes.
The gender controversy ignited at the Paris Games in August when Khelif defeated Angela Carini in 46 seconds in her opening bout, the Italian reduced to tears and abandoning the fight after suffering a badly hurt nose.
It led to a row that attracted comments from politicians and personalities ranging from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to “Harry Potter” author JK Rowling.
“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 said in a statement.
“The IOC will not comment while legal action is ongoing, or on media reports about unverified documents whose origin cannot be confirmed.”
The IOC said Khelif had competed in the women’s category in international competition “for many years”, including at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and at the International Boxing Association (IBA) world championships and IBA-sanctioned tournaments.
The IOC added that it was “saddened by the abuse that Imane Khelif is currently receiving”.
Khelif, who received a hero’s welcome when she returned to Algeria after her Olympic triumph, has already filed a complaint in France for online harassment.
Country quits boxing body
It comes days after France became the latest country to quit the International Boxing Association (IBA), to “guarantee French boxing its place at the Olympic Games”, governing body FFBoxe said in a statement.
The IBA, the longstanding ruling body of traditionally amateur competitions, such as the Olympics, is involved in a brawl with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over financial, governance and ethical concerns.
The IOC took over running the boxing competition at this year’s Paris Olympics. IOC president Thomas Bach warned that boxing’s national federations needed to find a new and “reliable” international partner for the IOC to be sure the sport features on the program at the Los Angeles Games in 2028.
A decision is due early in 2025 on whether or not to keep the sport in the Games.
World Boxing, which was founded in 2023 and boasts around 50 members, led by the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and Brazil, is in discussions with the IOC to take over running the sport at the Games.
The IBA is chaired by the Kremlin-linked Russian Umar Kremlev who sparked a damaging gender controversy during the Paris Olympics when he claimed that two women fighters had “genetic testing that shows that these are men”.
The IBA responded with a chaotic press conference in Paris intended to clarify why it disqualified Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting from its world championships in 2023 but then cited “medical confidentiality” as it failed to produce definitive evidence. Both boxers won gold in Paris.
Originally published as Imane Khelif takes legal action after leaked report claimed she is a ‘biological man’
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