A heated gender debate, athletes and celebrities taking sides, her father sharing proof of her gender. Algerian boxer Imane Khelif had little idea that her Paris Olympics campaign would turn out to be such a polarizing affair. Though her journey in Paris ended with a gold medal, the questions about her gender persist. In the latest quest to prove that she is not a biological male, Khelif’s team has come out with a statement that may put the accusations to rest.

The wave of hate against the boxer was fueled after it came to light that the IBA barred her from competing at the 2023 World Championships. They claimed that she failed a gender eligibility test and that her samples returned an XY (male) chromosomal pairing. But the latest revelation by her trainer will come as massive vindication for those who stood by her.

Khelif’s trainer, George Cazorla, told French magazine Le Point, that after her 2023 World Championships disqualification, he contacted Kremlin-Bicêtre, a renowned endocrinologist from the Parisian University Hospital. “He confirmed that Imane is indeed a woman, despite her karyotype and her testosterone level. He said: ‘There is a problem with her hormones, with her chromosomes, but she is a woman,'” Cazorla mentioned before sharing the recent findings.

“We then worked with a doctor based in Algeria to monitor and regulate Imane’s testosterone level, which is currently within the female norm. Tests clearly show that all her muscular and other qualities have been diminishing since then,” Cazorla added. However, it is to be noted that despite Cazorla’s update no immediate test reports were shared publicly.

Imane Khelif, a Tokyo Olympic quarterfinalist, commenced her campaign on August 1 when she faced Italy’s Angela Carini. The bout ended abruptly when Carini decided to pull out, claiming, “never felt a punch like this.” The incident sparked a major controversy, with many raising questions over Khelif’s gender and criticizing the IOC for allowing a boxer who the International Boxing Association had previously disqualified following a reported failure to clear an indeterminate gender eligibility test.

However, as time passed, her rightful claim to Olympic glory became clear. Her father provided her birth certificate on French TV station BFMTV to address the concerns about her gender, affirming that she was born a woman and was participating in a women’s event. IOC defended Khelif and another boxer Lin-Yu-ting saying that concerns over their gender are “totally unacceptable.” They even rejected IBA’s tests as arbitrary and illegitimate.

Notably, Khelif did compete in IBA events before 2023 without any such concerns. But after she defeated Russian boxer Azalia Amineva in 2023, IBA, whose president is Russian Umar Kremlev, disqualified the Algerian, which raises a few questions. IBA’s legitimacy has also been called into doubt after it was removed from Olympic duties by the IOC in 2023 due to alleged irregularities and boxing’s governance. Even though IBA claimed that Khelif was excluded due to the presence of XY chromosomes in her samples, it didn’t reveal what tests were carried out and the findings were not made public.

There has been speculation that Khelif may have Swyer syndrome, a rare genetic condition in which a person carries XY chromosomes but appears female with female reproductive organs. Another possibility is the DSD or “difference in sex development”. According to NIH, some people with DSDs are raised as female but may have sex chromosomes other than XX, or elevated testosterone levels. But so far in Khelif’s case, enough information isn’t available to ascertain if she carries any of these genetic variations.

Two days after the Cairni fiasco, Khelif faced Hungary’s Luca Anna Hamori, at the North Paris Arena,  The Algerian boxer won the match decisively. She repeated the feat in the quarterfinals as well, where she faced Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng. Finally, she overcame the 2023 World Championship gold medalist Liu Yang to win the coveted gold medal. Imane Khelif dominated all three rounds, leaving no doubts in the judges’ minds about who the superior boxer was.

Treating her triumph as the ultimate response to the slander she had endured, Imane Khelif said, “I am a woman like any other. I was born a woman, I lived a woman, I competed as a woman, there’s no doubt about that.” She also addressed the accusations and false claims against her.

Names such as Elon Musk, and author JK Rowling spoke out against Khelif, with swimmer Riley Gaines  posting on X, “men don’t belong in women’s sports.” However, many spoke in her favor, including soccer star Ismael Bennace of Italian side AC Milan. As the picture became more clear, many joined to lend a voice of support as well. Khelif also surprisingly found an ally in outspoken former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen.

Speaking for Imane Khelif

Through his YouTube channel, the submission grappling promoter and now a leading combat sports insider expressed strong displeasure at the whole incident. Discussing the controversy in detail, Chael Sonnen clarified misunderstandings that might have contributed to the controversy. Additionally, he emphasized what the issue did not involve. “The Algerian boxer did a test that came back stating she had the XY chromosome, which is biologically a male; that’s not true; that test was not done; the IBA has never said that test was done,” he said.

He stressed that the IBA reportedly found ‘something’ in Imane Khelif’s blood tests, which the organization ‘believed’ might give her an unfair advantage in competition. “No one ever stated that it was a genetic test [for] chromosome XY,” Chael Sonnen argued. Subsequently, Sonnen called for some understanding of Imane Khelif’s plight.

Hopefully, with this statement, the matter should be laid to rest, allowing the young boxer some space to enjoy her achievements.

What is your take after coming across the declaration from Imane Khelif’s team?