The Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, Olympic gold medalist at the Paris Games, is preparing a lawsuit against the media “Le Correspondant” for leaking private medical information in which it was revealed that the athlete has male biological characteristics due to a disorder in sexual development , as well as male XY chromosomes.
“We understand that Imane Khelif is going to court against the people who have commented on her situation during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and that we are also preparing an action in response to the latest press articles,” the International Olympic Committee wrote in a statement.
«The IOC will not make any comment while there is a judicial action in progress, nor about press articles about unverified documents whose origin cannot be confirmed,” he added.
Specifically, the aforementioned media revealed a report prepared in June 2023 between the Kremlin-Bicêtre hospital in Paris and the Mohamed Lamine Debaghine hospital in Algiers and attributed to endocrinologists Soumaya Fedala and Jacques Young, which concludes that the boxer has 5-alpha reductase deficiencyan enzyme with various functions in the body from the embryonic state and whose presence is important because it increases or decreases male and female characters, and therefore Khelif has a disorder of sexual development that is only found in biological males.
The controversy has been going on since 2023
The controversy over Khelif goes back a long way. She was excluded from the Boxing World Cup that was held in March 2023 for not passing a test intended to establish her gender. However, the International Boxing Federation is not recognized by the IOC, which did give her approval to participate in the women’s tournament at the Paris Games, where she was the winner in her category (welterweight, -66 kg).
«I am a strong woman, with special powers. From the ring I have sent messages to those who were against me,” said Khelif after winning his Olympic gold medal.
In the past she had participated in women’s boxing competitions, including the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, without sparking controversy.
“The IOC is saddened by the attacks currently being suffered by Imane Khelif”added the Olympic body. “As in previous Olympic boxing competitions, the sex and age of the athletes are determined according to the information contained in their passports,” he stressed.
French justice opened an investigation in August after Khelif filed a complaint for cyberbullying.
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