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Boxer Imane Khelif admitted to being a carrier of the SRY gene, located on the Y chromosome present in biological men, and to undergoing hormonal treatments to lower testosterone levels before the 2024 Olympic Games, in an interview with French sports newspaper L’Equipe..
Khelif has denied being transgender.
“We all have different genetics, different hormone levels. I’m not transgender. My difference is natural. It’s who I am. I haven’t done anything to change the way nature created me. That’s why I’m not afraid,” Khelif said. “I took hormonal treatments to lower my testosterone levels during competitions.”
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Imane Khelif (r) from Algeria and Luca Anna Hamori from Hungary fight. (Sina Schuldt/photo alliance via Getty Images)
Khelif has committed to also taking a sexual genetic test to compete in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, which will likely be mandatory.
“For the next Games, if I have to take a test, I will do it. I have no problem with that,” Khelif said.
The Independent Council for Women’s Sports (ICONS) released a statement regarding Khelif’s admission.
“Algerian women’s Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif has now confirmed that she is a man. With men no longer eligible for Olympic women’s boxing under World Boxing rules, Khelif reportedly intends to box professionally in Europe – although he inexplicably says he will still undergo sex screening for the 2028 Los Angeles Games in hopes of competing,” the statement said.
USOPC LEADERS TALK ABOUT PROTECTING WOMEN’S SPORTS AND USE OF SEX TESTING AMID GLOBAL RESISTANCE TO TRANS ATHLETES
Algeria’s Imane Khelif, right, defeats Angela Carini of Italy in their women’s 66 kg boxing preliminary match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, August 1, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Khelif won a gold medal in women’s boxing at the Paris 2024 Olympics under the close watch of the International Boxing Association (IBA), which was removed from recognition by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2023 due to concerns over the organization’s governance, financial dependence on Russian state-owned energy company Gazprom and the integrity of the fights.
Khelif was previously disqualified from the IBA for failing a gender eligibility test. IBA President Umar Kremlev claimed at the time that unpublished DNA test results showed Khelif had XY chromosomes.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) defended the results of the Paris Games, saying Khelif and another boxer facing gender eligibility issues were victims of a “sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA.”
World Boxing, the sport’s international governing body, announced a new policy in August that introduced mandatory sex testing to ensure only women compete in the women’s category. Khelif appealed the new policy which will keep the athlete out of competition pending the results of genetic testing.
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Imane Khelif of Team Algeria watches Anna Luca Hamori of Team Hungary during the Women’s 66kg Quarterfinal on day eight of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Nord de Paris Arena on August 3, 2024 in Paris, France. (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Khelif did not participate in an international boxing tournament in the Netherlands last summer after failing to register in time before applications closed.
President Donald Trump previously said there would be a “strong form of testing” when asked about possible genetic testing for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics during an August 5 press conference.
