Imane Khelif, an Algerian boxer, is in the middle of a lot of controversies right now and is at the epicenter of a gender row. Khelif won the Paris Olympics and was alleged to be a ‘man’ due to some leaked medical reports questioning her eligibility for female competition. The report was accessed by French journalist Djaffar Ait Aoudia, talking about Khelif’s unique medical condition. Angela Carini from Italy withdrew from her Round-16 bout with Khelif just after 46 seconds. After the decision was announced, Carini did not shake Khelif’s hand and cried in the ring on her knees. This was the start of an ongoing debate in social media and that got the attention of Joe Rogan as well.

Rogan is a million-dollar podcaster who does not shy away from speaking about controversial issues, and he did the same with Derek of More Plates More Dates in episode 2,239. The Joe Rogan Experience episode saw the internet personalities ignite the debate with their controversial remarks regarding transgender athletes, rights for women, and societal biases towards gender identity. Rogan dissected high-profile cases and sports policies that sometimes fail to protect women athletes.

Joe Rogan weighed in on the case of Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif, who reportedly had failed the gender eligibility test by the International Boxing Association (IBA). Even so, the IOC allowed her to participate in the Olympic women’s welterweight boxing games. After Khelif won the gold medal, there was news of leaked medical tests that allegedly stated that the boxer had X-Y chromosomes and internal testes, characteristics associated with 5-alpha reductase deficiency. Even after that, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) cleared her participation in the 2024 Paris Olympics in the female category.

Rogan subtly gave his remark talking about XY chromosomes, saying, “Which is the only way to do it politically correct. If it is not a woman, you say, ‘What are your chromosomes?’ ‘XY’ ‘Ma’am, you gotta be in the XY box. Go over there.’ ‘But I identify as a woman.’” Derek then elaborated on the implication of these unique cases with DHT imbalance and 5-alpha reductase deficiency. There is a proper development of male-typical muscle development and bone density while preventing full masculinization, which creates the problem. Rogan remarked, “They would’ve already done that. Where there is smoke, there is fire, you know. I just think if too many people are calling you man …”

However, he argued that chromosome testing, as suggested by the Enhanced Games organization, could be an accurate standard for gender eligibility in sports. Rogan consented, underscoring fairness over political correctness. Rogan has spoken about this case before and indicated the IOC not testing Khelif as ‘being fishy.’

Joe Rogan doubts the IOC for not testing Imane Khelif

Khelif is finding herself in hot waters incessantly because of the claim by IBA that she was disqualified from its 2023 tournament allegedly due to tests that indicated very high testosterone levels. Now, there is a leaked medical report allegedly stating that she has XY chromosomes. The IOC said that the tests by the IBA were ‘flawed.’

The JRE podcast host was skeptical about IOC’s verdict and said, “Right but they’re [IOC are] not saying why they’re not legitimate. This is what gives me pause when they just keep saying it’s not legitimate, the ad hoc nature of the tests is not legitimate. You have to say when you’re talking about a scientific test, that’s repeatable, right? So if you can test for XY chromosome versus XX chromosome, do it, and tell me what the results are if you can test for testosterone, do it, and tell me what the results are. And if one says XY and the other one says high levels of testosterone, that’s not a woman, okay, sports-wise.” 

Rogan went so far as to say that when sports are concerned, if Khelif is indeed XY chromosomes and has high testosterone levels, then she should not compete in women’s boxing. Even after so much pressure, Khelif did not crumble once. After winning the gold in the Paris Olympics, she gave an interview to AP and said, “For eight years, this has been my dream, and I’m now the Olympic champion and gold medalist. I want to thank all the Algerian people here in Paris, around the world, and in Algeria.”

She said, “I’m a woman like any other woman,” declaring that she indeed deserved to be in the women’s category. Her father even provided a picture of her birth certificate and childhood photos to prove that she is a woman. However, as Joe Rogan pointed out, many people will still be in doubt until the test results are revealed. Do you think this is right though?