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Imane Khelif

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Imane Khelif
Khelif with a medal at a sports competition. She is wearing a backwards cap and athletic wear, smiling towards the camera.Khelif at the 2023 Arab Games
Born (1999-05-02) 2 May 1999 (age 25)
Tiaret, Algeria
NationalityAlgerian
Statistics
Weight class
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights51
Wins42 (4 later disqualified)
Wins by KO6
Losses9
Draws0
No contests0
Medal record
Women's amateur boxing
Representing  Algeria
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2022 Istanbul Light welterweight
African Championships
Gold medal – first place 2022 Maputo Light welterweight
Mediterranean Games
Gold medal – first place 2022 Oran Light welterweight
Arab Games
Gold medal – first place 2023 Algiers Welterweight

Imane Khelif (Template:Lang-ar; born 2 May 1999) is an Algerian amateur boxer. She represented Algeria in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

During the 2024 Olympic Games, after Khelif's victory over Italy's Angela Carini, rumors surfaced claiming she was a transgender woman.Gender transition is not legally recognized in Algeria. The controversy traces back to Khelif's disqualification from the 2023 IBA Women's World Boxing Championships. Following this, the International Boxing Association (IBA)—which had already been excluded from the past two Olympics due to persistent governance issues, financial opacity, and numerous allegations of corruption in judging and refereeing—issued a statement. They claimed that Khelif did not meet the eligibility criteria based on certain tests, though they did not provide details on the testing methods. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and its Paris Boxing Unit stated Khelif was eligible to compete, and described many reports as misleading.

Early life

Khelif grew up in a rural village in Tiaret Province, in northwestern Algeria. She originally played football before switching to boxing. In her early years, she had to commute to a neighboring village to attend training sessions, and sold scrap metal to afford the bus fare. She stated that her father initially did not allow her to participate in sports because "he did not approve of girls boxing".

Career

2018–2021: Career beginnings and Olympic debut

Khelif receiving her gold medal after defeating Moroccan Oumaima Belhabib in the boxing finals of the 2023 Arab Games

At the 2018 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships, Khelif finished 17th after being eliminated in the first round by Karina Ibragimova. At the 2019 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships, she finished 33rd after being eliminated in the first round by Natalia Shadrina.

She represented Algeria in the women's lightweight event at the 2020 Summer Olympics, where she was defeated by Ireland's Kellie Harrington in the quarterfinals.

2022: IBA Championships final and boxing successes

At the 2022 IBA Women's World Boxing Championships, Khelif became the first Algerian female boxer to reach the final after defeating Chelsey Heijnen. She was then defeated by Amy Broadhurst in the final and finished runner-up. Later that year, Khelif saw further success, winning gold at the Mediterranean Games and the African Amateur Boxing Championships.

2022–2023: IBA Championships disqualification

In March 2023, she again reached the final of the IBA Women's World Boxing Championships, but was disqualified shortly before the gold medal bout for failing to meet eligibility criteria. The Algerian Olympic Committee stated that Khelif was disqualified for medical reasons. It was later reported that the disqualification was due to high levels of testosterone in her system.

IBA President Umar Kremlev stated to Russian news agency TASS in 2023 that the disqualifications were because DNA tests "proved they had XY chromosomes". The Washington Post stated "it remains unclear what standards Khelif and Lin Yu Ting failed to lead to the disqualifications." The IBA did not reveal the methodology of the testing, stating the "specifics remain confidential."

According to endocrinologist Gianluca Aimaretti, who acknowledged not being aware of Khelif's clinical documentation, there are some rare pathological cases where XY chromosome may appear in a woman and hypothesized that Khelif "could have been born with a congenital disease that caused a disorder of sexual differentiation". At the time, Khelif said the ruling meant having "characteristics that mean I can't box with women", but claimed to be the victim of a "big conspiracy" with this disqualification. She made an appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport but later withdrew it, making the IBA decision legally binding. However, the IBA has since been banned from organizing the Olympic boxing tournament in Paris due to ongoing concerns about governance issues and several judging scandals.

On 31 July 2024, regarding their 2023 decision, the IBA stated that Khelif and others "did not undergo a testosterone examination but were subject to a separate and recognized test, whereby the specifics remain confidential", and that they "were found to have competitive advantages over other female competitors". The following day, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) released their own statement in response, claiming that the IBA's decision was "sudden and arbitrary" and "without any due process". They further stated the following:

According to the IBA minutes available on their website, this decision was initially taken solely by the IBA Secretary General and CEO. The IBA Board only ratified it afterwards and only subsequently requested that a procedure to follow in similar cases in the future be established and reflected in the IBA Regulations. The minutes also say that the IBA should "establish a clear procedure on gender testing".

2024: Summer Olympics

In January 2024, Khelif became a UNICEF national ambassador.

The IBA's Olympic status was revoked due to governance issues and perceived judging and refereeing corruption. As a result, the boxing events in Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics were managed by the IOC's Paris 2024 Boxing Unit. The IOC, using different rules from the IBA, cleared Khelif to compete in Paris, confirming that she complied with all necessary eligibility and medical regulations for the event. The IOC noted that Khelif was a woman according to her passport and stated that all athletes competing in Paris comply with the competition's eligibility and entry regulations.

In the second round of the women's 66 kg event, she defeated Angela Carini of Italy in 46 seconds following Carini's withdrawal, citing intense pain in her nose. Khelif is scheduled to fight Luca Hámori of Hungary in the quarterfinals on 3 August.

During her performance in the Olympics, Khelif received a wave of online backlash from those who incorrectly claimed that she is transgender. Various public figures known for their strong views against transgender rights, such as J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk, criticized Khelif and the IOC on social media. These criticisms overlooked the fact that Khelif is a cisgender woman and that the IBA had been banned from the past two Olympics due to longstanding governance issues, a lack of financial transparency, and numerous alleged instances of corruption in judging and refereeing. In Algeria, gender transition is not legally permitted. The Algerian Olympic Committee (COA) defended Khelif, denouncing what they called "unethical targeting" and "baseless propaganda" against her. The COA emphasized that they have taken all necessary measures to protect Khelif and reaffirmed her right to compete.

While not labelling Khelif as transgender, competing Australian boxer Marissa Williamson-Pohlman noted the Khelif may be XY chromosone, and said that it was fair that she should declare that she was XY chromosone if that was the case. Khelif herself has not stated whether she is or isn't, though the IBA President in 2023 had stated that she was.

References

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