 "Imane Khelif’s Olympic gold should be withdrawn, says feminist group after report claims Algerian boxer is male")
Algerian boxing star Imane Khelif is back in the news three months after winning gold in emphatic fashion in the Paris Olympics with the spotlight once again shifting on her gender identity after a leaked medical report published in France identified her as a man with internal “testicles” and XY chromosomes.
Khelif’s place in the women’s boxing competition in the Paris Games had been slammed by US president-elect Donald Trump, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Harry Potter author JK Rowling among others. Khelif, though, would file a cyberbullying lawsuit against them after defeating China’s Yang Liu in the women’s 66kg final to win gold.
Also Read | Imane Khelif 'declared male': Why was Algerian boxer allowed to fight at Paris Olympics?
As for the alleged medical report which claims Khelif suffers from 5-alpha reductase deficiency , a sexual development disorder found in genetic males, and that she lacked a uterus and had a “micropenis” resembling an enlarged clitoris, a group of women’s rights activists reacted to the development by calling for Khelif’s gold to be withdrawn.
“We agree that the medal and all prizes should be withdrawn and given to the best performing female athlete,” Independent Council on Women’s Sport (ICONS) co-founder Kim Jones told German tabloid BILD.
“Sanctions and penalties should be imposed to hold accountable those - including IOC chiefs and the Algerian team - who put women at serious risk through deception and loss of their performances.
“This case is a perfect example of what goes wrong when leaders are too fearful or too uninformed to do their job,” added Jones.
Also Read | Trump highlights Khelif controversy in campaign video as outrage over her gender identity intensifies
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe report is believed to be the joint work of endocrinologists working at the Kremlin-Bicetre Hospital in Paris and the Mohamed Lamine Debaghine Hospital in Algiers.
Khelif, whose gender identity came under the spotlight after her 46-second victory over Italy’s Angela Carini in the Paris Games, has decided against staying silent on the matter. The 25-year-old, who received a hero's welcome in Algeria after her Olympic triumph, has opted to take the legal route and is “preparing a lawsuit in response to the latest reporting”.
The Algerian Olympic Committee (COA) has also jumped to Khelif’s defence and slammed the “ongoing and baseless attacks” against their star athlete.
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