Chaos Erupts as Imane Khelif Ranks Below Caitlin Clark, Simone Biles in AP Female Athlete of the Year

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif continues to be surrounded by controversy as she attained third place in the standings for the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year award. The 25-year-old won gold in the women’s welterweight division in the 2024 Paris Olympics. This came after incurred a disqualification from the 2023 World Championships for reportedly failing gender eligibility tests. 

The now-disgraced Russian-led International Boxing Association (IBA) conducted the tests that resulted in the suspension. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) stripped the organization of its world governing body status because of integrity and governance issues in the past. Regardless, Khelif’s participation in the games earned intense scrutiny because of all the question marks that hung over her gender.

Imane Khelif is back in the spotlight

The IOC defended its decision to allow Khelif to participate in the games and questioned the credibility of the unspecified gender eligibility tests conducted by the IBA. Meanwhile, this started a hailstorm of accusations against Khelif online, which she responded to with a massive lawsuit against her trolls. Since then, a list of 74 journalists from the Associated Press and its members voted for the female Athlete of the Year award. WNBA star Caitlin Clark didn’t face much competition to make it to the top with 35 votes. In the second spot, gymnast Simone Biles collected 25 votes, but unexpectedly Khelif was also on the list with 4 votes. 

Interestingly, recent reports indicate that the 25-year-old boxer is currently grappling with a fresh wave of gender-related accusations on social media. In November, the BBC revealed that the French magazine Le Correspondant had obtained a leaked medical report concerning the Algerian fighter. 

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has since addressed the issue, confirming that Khelif intends to file another lawsuit in response to the latest claims. Regardless, the outrage continued when fans discovered that the Olympic gold medalist ranked third in AP’s female athlete’s award.

‘Disgusting’ and ‘Pathetic’ among the words used to describe AP

Troubles for the 25-year-old boxer picked up steam, as hordes of fans took to X to express their disapproval about her involvement in the AP award. One user described the decision from AP to include Khelif as “This is absurd!” The not-for-profit news organization hasn’t responded to the backlash as of the time of writing. 

Another user could not hold in their disgust with the news organization. “AP is Disgusting…,” the user commented. However, only 4 journalists were among the 74 behind the decision to bring Khelif into the running. 

Someone else wasn’t too happy about the situation either. “Pathetic,” the user commented. Khelif has yet to share her thoughts on the matter as of the time of writing. 

The next user could not believe Imane Khelif was even considered for the award. “Insanity!!!!!!” the user wrote. However, if Khelif can win a gold medal on the biggest stage in the world, anything is possible. 

Meanwhile, this user saw the votes from AP for Khelif as a disgraceful move. “What a disgrace!!! 🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️,” the user wrote. The majority sentiment surrounding the post seems to be similar. 

That said, even after support from the IOC when the whole thing began, Imane Khelif continues to be on the wrong end of public favor. Now, it appears Associated Press has managed to get entangled in the mess. What are your thoughts on the matter?