Algeria's Imane Khelif won a gold medal in women's (67kg) boxing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, however, many have questioned if she is actually a girl.
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Big names like Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and even Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling all had something to say about Khelif being allowed to compete at the Olympics after she was previously disqualified from last year's world championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA), following a failed a gender test and testing positive for XY chromosomes.
https://twitter.com/timesalgebraind/status/1823781325494534429?s=46&t=XefkerHuIm6GM_ZXVMMI3w
That is to say, stemming from the "cyberbullying" as Khelif and her lawyer called it, she has since filed a harassment lawsuit to French authorities, while also publicly speaking out on the effects this whole controversy has had on her and her family.
"It affected me a lot, it hurt me a lot... I can't describe to you the amount of fear I had... Why was there an uproar from big politicians around the world? I was afraid, but thank God, I was able to overcome this stage."
"Thank God, all the people of Algeria and the Arab world knew Imane Khelif with her femininity, her courage, her will."
The reporter kept bringing up Trump and Musk throughout the interview, as Khelif noted that sports and politics are separate, but she did not like the fact that they were calling her transgender.
https://twitter.com/acyn/status/1822123322693599475?s=46&t=XefkerHuIm6GM_ZXVMMI3w
"These politicians who are oppressing me, they don't have the right to say that I'm transgender. This is a big shame for my family, for the honor of my family, for the honor of Algeria."
With this in mind, after Khelif punched Italy's Angela Carini so hard that she had to bow out of the fight after 46 seconds, the consensus from the public was that 25-year-old was a biological male.
Nevertheless, as more information was revealed throughout Khelif's run to a gold medal, and based on her claims of being biological female, it is now believed that she may have a disorder called Swyer Syndrome. This means even though Khelif has XY chromosomes (found in males), she may have female reproductive organs.
Furthermore, using deductive reasoning, Khelif comes from a Muslim country, so if in fact she had transitioned genders, she seemingly would not be allowed to represent Algeria on the Olympic stage.
No matter her gender, many such as Rowling question her eligibility, citing her participation as a disadvantage and safety concern for other female fighters, since Khelif tested for "elevated levels of testosterone" according to the IBA.
https://Twitter.com/jk_rowling/status/1819041439658975351?s=46&t=XefkerHuIm6GM_ZXVMMI3w
The ongoing lawsuit will shed more light into the details regarding Khelif's gender as there is also anticipation on whether or not the harassment complaint for spreading "misinformation and hate," made against some of the wealthiest Americans, will hold any ground in court.
https://Twitter.com/collinrugg/status/1823502682835050871?s=46&t=XefkerHuIm6GM_ZXVMMI3w
