The Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who clinched gold in the women's 66 kg boxing event at the 2024 Paris Olympics, has sparked a fierce controversy after a leaked medical report. The report, obtained by French journalist Djaffar Ait Aoudia, says Khelif has internal testicles and an XY chromosome makeup, consistent with 5-alpha reductase deficiency, a condition that causes abnormal sexual development and ambiguous genitalia.
Published in June 2023, the document, prepared by medical professionals from Kremlin-Bicetre Hospital in Paris and Mohamed Lamine Debaghine Hospital in Algiers, explains Khelif's anatomy: no uterus and a micropenis. Surgical correction and hormone therapy to align her physical traits with her self-identified gender are also recommended. The revelation has sparked fierce backlash from public figures and social media users calling on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to reconsider Khelif's eligibility to compete as a woman.
Khelif's journey to gold has been marred by scrutiny regarding her gender identity. But she won the gold, beating China’s Yang Liu 5-0, becoming Algeria’s first female Olympic boxing champion. Khelif, who won after overcoming adversity to triumph over her opponent's mother, said she was proud of her achievement. She insisted: 'I was born a woman; I lived a woman.'
Khelif is not new to controversy; she was denied the chance to compete at the 2023 World Championships after the International Boxing Association (IBA) refused to allow her to compete because of alleged gender eligibility issues. Notable figures such as former U.S. President Donald Trump and British commentator Piers Morgan have publicly questioned her participation in women's sports after this incident.
