Imane Khelif of Algeria won her first match at the Paris Olympics on Thursday, defeating Angela Carini of Italy.
Carini quit just 46 seconds into the bout after exchanging only a few punches. She avoided shaking Khelif’s hand and fell to the floor in tears afterward.
Khelif’s participation in Olympic women’s boxing has recently come under scrutiny. Reports resurfaced that she and another boxer, Lin Yu‑ting of Taiwan, failed to meet gender eligibility tests at the Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi last year.
Officials alleged that the boxers did not pass an unspecified test due to having male chromosomes.
Khelif, 25, has always competed as a woman, including at the Tokyo Olympics.
There is no indication that she identifies as transgender or intersex, the latter referring to individuals born with sex characteristics that do not fit strictly into the male-female gender binary.
Several American politicians, including former President Donald Trump, Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, shared their views on the match.
Trump emphatically stated on his social media platform, Truth Social, “I WILL KEEP MEN OUT OF WOMEN’S SPORTS!”
Imane Khelif Was Born A Biological Female
Imane was born on 2 May 1999 in Tiaret, Algeria.
She grew up in a rural village in Tiaret Province, northwestern Algeria. Initially a football player, she later switched to boxing.
She commuted to a neighboring village for training sessions in her early years, selling scrap metal to afford the bus fare.
Khelif mentioned that her father initially did not allow her to participate in sports as he did not approve of girls’ boxing.
IBA Championships Disqualification
In March 2023, Khelif reached the final of the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships but was disqualified shortly before the gold medal bout for failing to meet eligibility criteria.
The Algerian Olympic Committee stated that her disqualification was due to medical reasons.
It was later reported that high levels of testosterone in her system were the cause.
According to International Boxing Association (IBA) President Umar Kremlev, DNA testing of Khelif and other athletes “proved they had XY chromosomes and were thus excluded from the sports events.”
At the time, Khelif acknowledged the ruling, saying it meant she had “characteristics that mean I can’t box with women,” but claimed she was the victim of a “big conspiracy” with this disqualification.
She made an appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport but later withdrew it, making the IBA decision legally binding.
Imane Khelif’s Swyer Syndrome May Prevent Her From Conceiving A Child
The debate about gender identity often centers around biological factors such as the ability to conceive.
In the case of Imane Khelif, a boxer who was identified as female at birth in a country where transitioning is illegal, the situation is complex.
Biologically, Khelif may be able to reproduce, but chromosomes also play a significant role in this discussion.
According to IVA president Umar Kremlev, Khelif has been found to possess XY chromosomes, typically indicating a male.
However, certain medical conditions can cause individuals who identify and present as female to have XY chromosomes.
As of now, no official statement has clarified if Khelif has any such condition, making much of the discussion speculative.
Social media is awash with debates regarding Khelif’s gender identity, but she continues to receive strong support from her fans despite the backlash.
One user, @actingliketommy, wrote on X,
“Conservatives are in an obvious pickle over the Olympic boxer… because it’s my understanding that Imane Khelif can get pregnant. So, if they keep desperately insisting this woman is a man, then they must be saying men can get pregnant.”
Another commented,
“It’s gonna be really funny if she gets pregnant someday and conservatives have to reconcile ‘men cannot get pregnant!’ and ‘Imane Khelif is a man!'”
Furthermore, some people on social media have speculated that Imane Khelif may have Swyer Syndrome, a condition that would prevent her from conceiving a child.
One user commented,
Imane Khelif has Swyer’s Syndrome and will never be able to get pregnant as a result, no matter if she wants children.
Women with Swyer syndrome have a vagina and uterus but xy chromosomes. They have no ovaries or testicles. They can’t produce sex hormones. They won’t enter puberty unless medically assisted. They can conceive with a donor egg and give birth. Imane Khelif can’t have swyer syndrome because he produces testosterone in male levels. Swyer syndrome prevents production of any sex hormones. He most likely has 5-alpha reductase deficiency which causes a make child to be born with the appearance of labia but no vagina and no ovaries or uterus. They have internal testes that descend at puberty and produce testosterone that causes the penis and body to develop as a normal man. This is the condition caster Semenya has that disqualified him from women’s running competitions.
Only Males can get Swyer Syndrome, because it’s caused by a defect on the Y chromosome. Females don’t have a Y chromosome. That’s why a simple test using a cheek swab could have proven Khelif is Female if it showed XX chromosomes, but the IOC refuses to do even that minimal amount of testing. They are totally to blame for the controversy.