New Delhi: Medical test reports of a well-known Indian lab suggests that Paris Olympics gold medallist female boxer Imane Khelif is biologically male.
Khelif won the welterwight (66kg) gold medal at Paris 2024 under hugely controversial circumstances as questions were raised over her gender.
She became Algeria’s first female gold medallist boxer, as well as the first from her country to claim a medal since 2000.
But doubts over her eligibility remained as leaked medical reports suggested presence of abnormally high levels of chromosomes in her body associated with males.
Adding to that controversy is sex-test results of Khelif obtained from Dr Lal Path Labs for the 2023 World Championships that was held in New Delhi.
The report, published by 3 Wire Sports website, states the findings on Khelif as “abnormal”, appearing to indicate the boxer is biologically male. “Chromosome analysis reveals male karyotype,” it is written in the report.
An individual’s complete set of chromosomes is referred to as karyotype with the International Boxing Association (IBA) reporting Khelif as XY, which denotes the male pattern.
She was subsequently suspended from the competition in 2023 after the report but the International Olympic Council (IOC) was allowed to participate at the Paris Games.
IOC questioned the legitimacy of the test and the Olympic committee that oversaw the boxing discipline in Paris in the wake of International Boxing Association’s suspension.
The Olympic committee had dismissed the raised biological concerns, insisting on no valid proof to prevent Khelif from participating in the women’s category.
The 26-year-old Khelif has repeatedly denied claims that she is male, insisting that she was born and raised as a child and identified herself as female.
This medical report from 2023 comes days after World Boxing’s announcement of athletes competing in women’s categories need to undergo “mandatory sex testing”, while referring Khelif.
World Boxing said the test would be used to study chromosomes, stating, “presence of XX chromosomes or the absence of Y chromosome genetic material (the SRY gene) or with a DSD where male androgenization does not occur.
“Imane Khelif may not participate in the female category at the Eindhoven Box Cup, 5-10 June 2025 and any World Boxing event until Imane Khelif undergoes genetic sex screening in accordance with World Boxing’s rules and testing procedures,” it said in its statement.
Imane Khelif won the welterwight (66kg) gold medal at Paris 2024 under hugely controversial circumstances as questions were raised over her gender. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
