Imane Khelif’s former sparring partner emerges with bizarre claims after Olympic controversy

Boxer Imane Khelif, a gold medallist, has been criticised by a former sparring partner in an unusual verbal attack.

Gold-medal boxer Imane Khelif is getting attacked by one of her former sparring partners.

Bulgarian-Nigerian women’s boxer Joana Nwamerue sparred with Khelif on several occasions and has bizarre theories on Khelif’s background after the Algerian boxer was in the middle of a gender controversy at the Olympics.

“[Khelif] has some kind of internal issues. But he is a man,” Nwamerue said, according to Reduxx.

“I will stay [by] my words until he/she does a test to prove to the world that he/she is a woman. But we all know that won’t happen.”

Imane Khelif’s former sparring partner has let rip with bizarre claims after the 2024 Paris Olympics. Picture: AFP

Joana Nwamerue previously sparred with Imane Khelif. Picture: Joana Nwamerue/Instagram

Nwamerue then claimed that she was approached by teammates of Khelif’s and that the newly crowned gold medallist had been “biologically altered” by her environment.

“[Khelif’s] teammates came to me and told me ‘Imane is not a man,’” Nwamerue said.

“She is a woman and just lives high in the mountains with her relatives and parents and so there may be a change in her testosterone or chromosomes and the like …. I think we played three-to-four sparring sessions. I have a record of everything. I can confirm that this is a man to me. Male power. Men’s techniques, everything.”

Algeria's Imane Khelifhas dealt with online hate since the controversy erupted. Picture: AFP

Khelif is not transgender and was born a woman, although she was banned last year by the International Boxing Association (IBA) over a mysterious failed test that IBA president Umar Kremlev claimed showed she had XY chromosomes.

Khelif won gold in the Paris Olympics last week after she defeated Chinese fighter Yang Liu. Khelif looked dominant throughout her five wins to claim the welterweight tournament.

Afterwards she lambasted the harassment she received, saying it “harms human dignity,” according to NBC New York.

Joana Nwamerue made explosive claims about Imane Khelif in recent interview. Picture: Joana Nwamerue/Instagram

Imane Khelif celebrates after defeating China’s Yang Liu to win gold on August 9, 2024. (Photo by MOHD RASFAN / AFP)

“I send a message to all the people of the world to uphold the Olympic principles and the Olympic Charter, to refrain from bullying all athletes, because this has effects, massive effects,” Khelif said in Arabic in an interview with SNTV, according to the Associated Press.

“It can destroy people, it can kill people’s thoughts, spirit and mind. It can divide people. And because of that, I ask them to refrain from bullying.”

Khelif has also filed a legal complaint over the online harassment she faced over the controversy.

Italian boxer Angela Carini retired from her opening bout with Khelif after 46 seconds, saying she had “never been hit so hard” and set off a mass controversy at the Olympics.

This article originally appeared in the New York Post and has been reproduced with permission.