Olympic champ speaks out as JK Rowling gender furore rages

Imane Khelif has made a public statement as author JK Rowling made startling new claims over the boxer’s gender test bombshell.

Olympic champ Imane Khelif has made her first public statement after details of a gender test were leaked to media outlets this week.

It comes as outspoken author JK Rowling made further startling claims about the gender test furore that has raged this week.

Boxing was rocked this week when reports emerged a test conducted in 2023 appeared to show the gold medal-winner is a biological male.

The bombshell documents have dropped more than a year after the Algerian fighter sparked an international backlash as she went on to win the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Khelif was approved to compete in Paris by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) despite being banned by the International Boxing Association (IBA) one year earlier.

The IBA banned Khelif after biological samples were tested in New Delhi in 2023 — with the test results allegedly showing the DNA of a “male”.

It comes as World Boxing announced it is introducing mandatory gender testing to determine the eligibility of male and female athletes.

World Boxing singled Khelif out when making its announcement, saying the organisation has informed the Algerian Boxing Federation that Khelif would have to undergo the test if she wanted to compete at the Eindhoven Box Cup in the Netherlands on June 5-10.

Imane Khelif and JK Rowling. Photo: AFP / ANGELA WEISS.

In a swirling saga, World Boxing on Wednesday morning (AEST) apologised for further publicising Khelif’s case.

The Algerian was defiant when taking to social media on Tuesday, where she ignored the furore.

Khelif’s Instagram post celebrated Unicef’s Global Day of Parents, and featured a photo of her in a blue polo shirt as she formed a heart with her hands.

“Today, I became a champion, but it all started long ago,” she posted.

“When my parents believed in me, even when the dream felt too big. When they supported me, listened to me, and stood by me.

“Being a parent isn’t easy. There’s no manual. But the love, patience, and trust you give your child can change everything.

“On this #GlobalDayOfParents, I just want to say thank you. Thank you to every parent who chooses, every single day, to be there for their children.

“Together with @unicefalgerie, I’m celebrating these everyday heroes. Because when parents are supported, children can dream and succeed.”

Childhood photo of Algeria's Imane Khelif (Right).

Rowling, meanwhile, has also shrugged off a social media backlash to continue to criticise Khelif’s participation in the women’s light welterweight division at the Paris Games.

The Harry Potter novelist wrote on X: “A raft of people in sports media publicly cheered on men beating up women in the name of entertainment and not one of them will lose their job.

“No demographic other than women could be treated this egregiously without consequences. Naked misogyny.”

Khelif has always denied being a biological male and even named Rowling and Elon Musk in a cyberbullying lawsuit.

Author Rowling is a prolific user of social media and has emerged as an outspoken voice on women’s rights as well as transgender and gender issues.

Rowling — who has 14.3 million followers on X — posted on Tuesday: “It’s a win for women because they won’t be battered to death in the ring by men.

“If you had any idea what physical tests women go through routinely in their lives you’d know a cheek swab is no bigger deal than flossing your teeth.

“Any more moronic questions, wing them over”.

Rowling also posted: “I never said and never believed Khelif was trans. I knew* he was a man”.

One social media user responded to Rowling’s post by writing: “Spreading hatred because you can’t resist transphobia”.

Imane Khelif and JK Rowling. Photo by Tolga Akmen / AFP.

However, the author responded: “Intersex doesn’t mean a third sex, a mixture of both sexes, or a hermaphrodite.

“Many people with DSDs (differences of sexual development) find the outdated term ‘intersex’ highly offensive, precisely because it means ignorant people like you suggest they aren’t male or female”.

Former British Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies — who has been a vocal critic of Khelif’s participation in women’s competitions — has also spoken publicly since the test result was leaked.

Davies was caught in the middle of a social media storm during the Paris Games after writing: “I’m so angry at the IOC they learn nothing from history or science & women continually pay the price.”

Davies has now written: “Please stand with all female athletes, at all levels in all sport.

“Women & girls are worthy of their own sports, free from any & all males.

“Allowing males in a sports category they have no place in is cheating in full sight. Don’t remain silent anymore.”

World Boxing will organise the boxing competition at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after being granted provisional recognition by the IOC.

The eyes of the world will be watching to see the results of any gender test Khelif may undergo through World Boxing — with her 2023 test result continuing to create headlines around the globe.

As reported by The Sun, the IOC — who replaced the IBA as the Olympic’s boxing governing body — were warned about the 2023 tests and urged to remove Khelif from the competition.

But Khelif was allowed to box in Paris because of her female passport status.

Now, the alleged sex-test results from the 2023 World Championships have been published for the first time by 3 Wire Sports.

Imane Khelif poses after defeating China's Yang Liu to win gold. AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos.

The medical report appears to indicate that the boxer is biologically male.

American journalist Alan Abrahamson produced the result of a test said to have been carried out on the boxer in New Delhi in March 2023 - which triggered the boxer’s disqualification.

The document published summarises the findings on Khelif as “abnormal”, stating: “Chromosome analysis reveals male karyotype.”

A karyotype refers to an individual’s complete set of chromosomes, which in Khelif’s case has been reported by (IBA) as being XY, the male pattern.

The alleged test results carry the letterhead of Dr Lal PathLabs in New Delhi, accredited by the American College of Pathologists and certified by the Swiss-based International Organisation for Standardisation.

This directly challenges what IOC spokesman Mark Adams said in a tense news conference at the Paris Olympics.

He described the results that saw Khelif banned as “ad hoc” and “not legitimate”.

IOC president Thomas Bach even claimed that the results are the product of a Russian-led misinformation campaign.

Khelif, meanwhile, has vowed to fight on, even eyeing another gold at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.