Who is Imane Khelif? Jk Rowling leads calls for Olympic boxer to be stripped of her medal

Imane Khelif is a gold medalist Algerian female boxer from the Paris 2024 Olympics. She grew up in a humble rural household in Algeria, moving up the boxing ladder by selling couscous and scrap metal to finance her training.

Khelif is a 2020 Tokyo quarterfinalist and 2022 World Championships silver medalist. She is recognized as female with her passport stating she is female, issued by the Algerian Olympic and Sports Committee alongside the International Olympic Committee, which acknowledges her identity.

The Imane Khelif controversy started when she was accused of being male in India when a leaked medical report allegedly claimed she had XY male chromosomes. The test, purportedly performed by Dr Lal PathLabs in New Delhi and quoted by The Telegraph and 3 Wire Sports, has caused global outrage. It also indicates Imane Khelif might possess a peculiar illness known as 5-alpha reductase deficiency, which can result in atypical genital development.

As a newly established governing body for Olympic boxing, World Boxing has recently instituted a policy requiring all athletes over the age of 18 to perform some form of genetic testing, including PCR saliva, swab, or blood tests, to determine whether or not they fall into the male or female category. Imane Khelif, for her part, ‘has always identified and lived as a woman, even though she has yet to provide evidence showing a female chromosome profile.

Mark Adams, an IOC spokesperson, referred to the purported test results as “ad hoc” and “not legitimate” during a press briefing in Paris. In an even bolder stance, IOC President Thomas Bach claimed that the purported information was, in fact, leaked with the intention of conducting a well-planned disinformation campaign, probably from the International Boxing Association, which lost IOC recognition in 2023 because of its internal governance complications.

Prominent voices call for Imane Khelif’s disqualification

J.K. Rowling has perhaps been the most vociferous advocate for the cancellation of Khelif’s gold medal.

“Women’s sport is not a free-for-all. It’s not a vehicle for men to validate their identities at the expense of female athletes,” Rowling posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Sharing a photo of Khelif on the podium, she stated, “What happened in that ring was not inclusion. It was abuse.”

Her remarks went viral and sparked conversation all over social media.

Angela Carini, when describing her experience after losing to Khelif in the first round, said it is frightening and chilling.

“I feared for my safety,” she explained in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Other athletes remarked that the fight was quite insane and difficult to comprehend; they felt as though they were witnessing an unfair matchup.

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“Watching this felt like seeing a man and woman fight.”

With all the controversy surrounding this scene, World Boxing will investigate the issue before the 2028 Olympic Games set in Los Angeles.

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