Just a punch in the nose. That was enough to bring down Italian boxer Angela Carini to her knees in the first-round match at the Paris Olympics. An unsettled Carini withdrew just 46 seconds into the match. “I have never felt a punch like this,” Carini had said, as left the arena, teary-eyed. What would you expect next? The winner will be showered with praise for power and skill, right? But here, just the opposite happened. A wave of criticism and condemnation was all the winner was greeted with. And standing at the center of it was Algerian boxer Imane Khelif. What prompted it all?

Khelif was disqualified by the International Boxing Association (IBA) from the Women’s World Boxing Championship last year, after having high testosterone levels and failing the IBA’s gender eligibility tests. But, before the Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) conducted its own series of tests and, as a result, allowed her to compete in the women’s category at the Olympics.

Since then, the IBA and the public at large have been claiming that Imane Khelif is a biological male who should not have been allowed to compete in the women’s category at this year’s Summer Olympics. But Imane moved surged ahead, eventually picking up the gold medal. But looks like, even months after all these, the debate is far from over. In fact, the recently announced results of the AP Female Athlete of Year reignited the controversy.

Caitlin Clark, with her massive impact on the WNBA this year both in terms of performance and in bringing viewership reigned the awards with 35 votes. It indeed came as a surprise to many as she also overtook Simone Biles, who had a brilliant Paris Olympics where she ended up winning four medals including three gold. Simone earned her 25 votes from the jury taking the second spot. However, what caught fan’s attention was the third athlete on the list and the fact that the Associated Press gave Khelif a place in the final.

These people were angered that she received four votes for the female athlete of the year, leading them to express that on social media. They believed that, as the case of Imane being a male or female still lies in ambiguity, it wasn’t right for her to be standing with two incredibly accomplished women athletes, Simone Biles and Caitlin Clark. Some, who have already made up their minds on Imane Khelif’s gender, have even trolled the boxer on social media. But such tribulation is nothing new to Imane.

During the Olympics the likes of OutKick’s Riley Gaines, former president Donald Trump, Elon Musk and J. K. Rowling kind of spearheaded the criticism against Khelif. Musk had reshared a post by American swimmer and political activist Gaines where the former had written, “men don’t belong in women’s sports #StandWithAngelaCarini Let’s make it viral.” And it did, with Musk writing “Absolutely” in the caption. That eventually led her to file a cyberbullying lawsuit against Musk that also had Rowling’s name. The entire saga not only affected Imane but her family as well.

In an interview with Clique, Imane directly addressed Musk, as they said, “Elon Musk was one of the first to attack me during this hate campaign. He posted this video and it was retweeted.” The boser, teary-eyed, added, “You hate me, but you don’t even know me. You were cruel to me and my family. I don’t even know why you led this attack. You have been cruel to me. Cruel to my family, my mother. At that time, my mother was going to hospital every day.” But are the allegations against Imane valid, or there is something more to it? Let’s delve  into a bit of science.

Top Comment by BlarryG

I did admire Simone for getting it back together and winning, but CC deserves it for being chill and cool...more

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Debate

Khelif has never identified as biologically male, transgender, or intersex, and has always participated in various international competitions as a woman. It was based on their gender eligibility tests last year that the IBA surmised that Khelif is not a woman since they were having XY chromosomal pair, which is the chromosomal pair present in a biological male. But wait to hear this.

It has been reported that Khelif suffers from a rare genetic condition called Swyer Syndrome or XY gonadal dysgenesis. According to Osmosis.org, individuals suffering from this condition have “a rare congenital disorder of s*x development.”  To put it simply, there is a disconnection between a person’s genetic makeup and their reproductive organs. A person might have an XY (male) genetic makeup, but it leads to the development of a female reproductive system comprising a vagina, uterus, and fallopian tubes.

Vice versa may occur as well, where an individual with an XX (female) chromosomal pairing, might develop a male reproductive system. According to the National Institute of Health, the rare condition is caused by mutations of genes that are involved in the se*ual development of a fetus. The disorder is also reflected in the overall physical appearance of an individual.

What’s more, even though individuals with Swyer syndrome may develop female organs like the vagina and uterus, they do not have the corresponding sex glands, known as the ovaries. Therefore, the said person is typically infertile and does not undergo puberty because of improper secretion of s*x hormones like estrogen and progesterone. This is one reason why the IOC decided to disregard the IBA’s findings and allowed Khelif to compete in the women’s category at the Olympics, just like she competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as well. But it seems like even after all these arguments and counter-arguments, all the fans are not on the same page on the matter.

Olympics gold medalist’s inclusion in list sparks huge debate

One fan crudely said, “What a farce he/it got 4 votes! A group of 74 sports journalists from The Associated Press and its members voted on the award. Clark received 35 votes, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles was second with 25, and boxer Imane Khelif was third, getting four votes.”

Most fans were left immensely unhappy with the decision to give Imane Khelif a place in the finals of the Female Athlete of the Year list. “How was Khelif a finalist for Female Athlete of the Year? So tired of this nonsense,” said one fan. Amidst all the rumors of Imane Khelif being a biological male, the boxer had a lot of people rooting against her and waiting for the opportunity to celebrate her defeat. However, she rose above the critics and ended up winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.

This is why she has also gained some support from a fraction of the fans post the competition. They believe that the boxer completely deserves her medal, and anything said against her is an attempt to pull her down while she is at the top. “If Imane Khalif is a woman, her condition does not make her any less of a woman. She doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone. AND even at the end of 2024 it burns for them to see a woman succeed in a sport,” said one fan. Thus, the boxer remained a divisive subject among the fans.

But while this debate raged on, Simone Biles’ fans had a different bone to pick with the list. They completely believed that the gymnast had done enough this year in the Paris Olympics to make her the female athlete of the year over Caitlin Clarke. “I love that CC has made a huge impact on the WNBA, but she should never win any award over Simone Biles. I know gymnastics isn’t shown on ESPB every day, but people must not fully comprehend what Biles is and does. She’s the best female gymnast ever in the history of the world,” said one fan.

There is some obvious legitimacy to this claim. After all, Simone Biles winning four medals at the Olympics while defeating her rivals in gymnastics can’t be taken lightly at all. As this is such a regular task for her, many people have made the mistake of doing so, believing that this is merely habitual for her. But Simone had an extraordinary Olympics, which can very well stake a claim at the accolade.

Another fan also spoke about Simone Biles’ achievements while bringing two other candidates into the fray. “There were numerous athletes who should have been named Athlete of the Year over CC. AW scored 1000 points (first to do it) and won a gold medal. Simone Biles dominated women’s gymnastics and won multiple Olympic medals. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone dominated women’s track and field.”

A’ja Wilson played a crucial role in the US basketball team winning a gold medal at the Paris Olympics and thus deserves her flowers as well. On the other hand, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s unprecedented dominance in hurdling, where she has broken the world record six times, with two occasions coming this year, warranted a mention too. But this is not to say that Caitlin Clark or Imane Khelif deserved it any less. With fans continuing to pick sides, the list definitely seems to be controversial!