This statement followed a media frenzy after she defeated Italian Olympian Angela Carini
BY GINA BEVAN, IMAGE VIA INSTAGRAM (@IMANE_KHELIF_10)
The spread of misinformation and subsequent bullying targeting female Algerian Olympic boxer, Imane Khelif, has been all over social media since her match with Italy’s Angela Carini on 1 August.
Imane Khelif won her fight against Italy’s Angela Carini within the first 46 seconds of their match.
Shortly after, a wave of unsubstantiated claims that Khelif is a “biological man” spread across news outlets and social media. Celebrities and public figures, such as J. K. Rowling, raced to their X accounts to condemn the inclusion of transgender athletes in sports.
J. K. Rowling wrote: “The idea that those objecting to a male punching a female in the name of sport are objecting because they believe Khelif to be ‘trans’ is a joke. We object because we saw a male punching a female.”
Khelif, however, is a woman who does not identify as trans or intersex, and being transgender is illegal in Algeria.
Claims surrounding her sex originate from reported gender eligibility tests conducted by the International Boxing Association (IBA) during the World Championships in 2023 that apparently found that Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan had XY chromosomes. According to the NHS, XY chromosomes found in the female body can be referred to as differences of sex development (DSD), and should not be confused with someone being transgender. The findings of the undisclosed gender eligibility tests by the IBA have not been verified and have been called into question.
The Russian-backed IBA has been plagued with claims of corruption and in June last year, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) removed its status as the sport’s worlds governing body. Concerns surrounding the IBA’s gender testing come after Khelif’s ban from the World Championships led to her defeat of Russian boxer, Azalia Amineva, to be removed and restored Amineva’s record to show straight wins as an undefeated fighter.
On the gender test, Mark Adams, the spokesperson for the IOC, said “We don’t know what the protocol was, we don’t know whether the test was accurate, we don’t know whether we should believe the test”.
Adams has stressed that Khelif fully complies with the IOC’s eligibility rules adding “These women were born as girls they are registered as female they have female passports”. Since the event, GLAAD has worked alongside interACT and Athlete Ally to provide a fact sheet that addresses wrongful claims as well as highlighting that this year’s Olympics has been the most inclusive.
The spread of misinformation and bullying of Khelif has led her to urge people to stop making hurtful comments that are affecting her mental health and silenced her critics by declaring: “I want to tell the entire world that I am a female, and I will remain a female.”
“I send a message to all the people of the world to uphold the Olympic principles, according to the Olympic Charter, to refrain from bullying all athletes because this thing has effects, massive effects.”
“It can destroy people, it can kill people’s thoughts, spirit and mind. It can divide people. And because of that, I ask them to refrain from bullying,” she added.
Carini has also spoken since she withdrew from the match stating that she wants to apologise to her opponent, “I’m sorry for my opponent, too. If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision.”
PinkNews also reports that Irish boxer, Amy Broadhurst, has defended her former rival after reminding the public about the fact that she beat the Algerian boxer in 2022 stating “The fact that she has been beating [sic] by nine females before says it all.”
Imane Kelif won her fight against Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori on Saturday and continues her Olympic campaign on Tuesday against Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand, with Lin due to compete on Wednesday.
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