Algerian boxer Imane Khelif faced challenges in her pursuit of identity

(Samajweekly) During the Paris Olympics 2024, Italian boxer Angela Carini faced Algerian boxer Imane Khelif in a semi-final match, which concluded in just 46 seconds with Carini’s fall. She is biologically male, not a congenital female. Upon learning the outcome of the contest, the Italian boxer expressed her frustration, exclaiming, ‘This is not fair to me’ before kneeling and crying audibly. She expressed her emotions, stating, ‘This is the first competition in which she experienced such powerful punches.’ Subsequently, the underlying factors contributing to this situation revealed that Imane Khelif, the Algerian boxer who triumphed in the Olympic competition, is not a female but rather a biological male.

Imane Khelif, an Algerian boxer, participated in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but unfortunately, she lost. She won the silver medal at the 2020 World Championship in the Czech Republic. There was no attack then. The problem began at the World Boxing Championship in Delhi in 2023. She defeated the Russian boxer and advanced to Round 16. She underwent another medical examination in the sixteenth round. The president of the International Boxing Association (IBA) was Russian. The medical team prepared a report following his orders, stating that the boxer has high levels of testosterone, which disqualifies him from being considered female.

After completing the gender test, the medical team classified boxer Angela Carini as a man, leading to her ban. Later, Khelif’s doctor explained that Khelif has a rare condition known as ‘Difference of Sex Development’ (DSD), where a woman has both X and Y chromosomes. Every woman also has testosterone, a male hormone. This hormone is significantly more prevalent in men than in women. In many women, an increase in this hormone can lead to a voice resembling that of men and a physical structure similar to theirs. It stems from hormonal imbalance, but it doesn’t change a woman’s identity.

Imane Khelif is now preparing to compete in the Paris Olympics 2024 and has already won a gold medal in this event. In the Olympic semi-finals, the same fighter stunned everyone by defeating Italian boxer Angela Carini in just 46 seconds in the 66-kg weight category, securing a spot in the final. Italian boxer Carini told the jury right after the fight that his opponent’s punches felt like men’s punches. A female boxer like me couldn’t endure that. We need to confirm my opponent’s gender. Following the controversy, Imane Khelif quickly referenced his previous medical report, steering clear of further issues, and secured the gold medal by defeating Hungary’s Luca Hamori in the final round of the Olympic competition.

However, Jacques Young, an endocrinologist from the Kremlin-Bicetre Hospital in Paris, and Samia Fairdale, a specialist from Algeria’s Mohamed Lamine Debaghine Hospital, prepared Imane Khelif’s medical report in June 2023. Reports indicate that Angela Carini boxer Imane Khelif is suffering from a 5 alpha reductase deficiency disease. A rare genetic disorder impacts male sexual development. This condition alters the look of the external genitalia. Imane Khelif has internal testicles, an XY chromosome, and lacks a uterus. The report indicates that Khalif’s body struggles to produce a hormone known as dihydrotestosterone (DTH), essential for developing male sexual characteristics, resulting in a female appearance. Thus, she is genetically male instead of female because of a 5-alpha reductase deficiency.

Following the gender testing and the ongoing debate over her identity, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has now lost her right to compete in women’s boxing. Will this boxer have their gold medal from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games taken away? Will this bring justice to Italian boxer Angelina Carini, who competed in the semi-final, and Hungarian boxer Luca Hamari, who played in the final? The International Olympic Committee and the International Boxing Federation have all the answers to these questions. We’ll wait for their decision on this.