Imane Khelif ‘preparing lawsuit’ against medical report declaring her male; Algeria slams ‘unfounded claims’: Report

The embattled Imane Khelif, declared male in a leaked medical report, is “preparing a lawsuit in response to the latest reporting,” according to information provided by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to German broadcaster DW. However, the IOC has declined to comment on “unverified documents whose origin cannot be confirmed.”

Meanwhile, the Algerian Olympic Committee (COA) has also hit out at the “ongoing and baseless attacks” on Imane Khelif after the leaked medical report claimed that the 25-year-old boxer, who won women's 66kg gold medal at the Paris Olympics 2024, does not have a uterus but internal testes .

Also Read | Khelif controversy: Boxing chief hits out at Olympics Committee

‘Medical report targets to tarnish Imane Khelif’s image’

The medical report, which went viral on social media after it was accessed by the French magazine Le Correspondant and reshared by Reduxx, was reportedly drafted in 2023 by Kremlin-Bicêtre Hospital in Paris, France, and the Mohamed Lamine Debaghine Hospital in Algiers, Algeria. The unverified medical report claims that Imane Khelif has “gonads in the inguinal canals” (testicles in her abdomen), “a blind vagina” and a “micro-penis” which resembles an enlarged clitoris.

It also says that the Paris Olympics champion Khelif suffers from 5-alpha reductase deficiency, a sexual development disorder found only in males, and possesses XY (male) chromosomes.

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“These attacks, often based on unsubstantiated allegations, aim to tarnish the image of an athlete who has brought honor to our nation on the international stage,” the COA was quoted as saying by DW. “We firmly condemn these attempts at destabilization, which have no place in the world of sports.”

“These claims, which have persisted for several months, are entirely unfounded and contradict the values and principles of the Olympic movement,” the COA said.

Medical report co-author distances himself from findings

The DW report also said that Kremlin-Bicêtre Hospital in Paris has refused to authenticate the medical report. The hospital communicated to DW that it “does not provide any information relating to medical confidentiality and, in particular, does not specify whether a person has consulted a doctor or not.”

But Jacques Young, an endocrinologist from Kremlin-Bicêtre Hospital who reportedly co-authored the medical report, suggested to the broadcaster that “his name was being used to spread false information and an anti-trans agenda.”

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The recent controversy surrounding Imane Khelif is the latest in a series of allegations against the Algerian boxer. She was suspended in 2023 by the International Boxing Association (IBA) after failing a chromosome test, however, IOC later said that the tests were illegitimate.

Also Read | Imane Khelif ‘declared male’: Why was Algerian boxer allowed to fight at Paris Olympics?

Later, her 46-second victory over Italy's Angela Carini in the round of 16 bout at the Paris Olympics also caused a furore as influential personalities including author JK Rowling and businessperson Elon Musk protested Imane Khelif’s participation in female events.

In August this year, Imane Khelif filed a legal complaint in France for online harassment.

After the Olympics, Imane Khelif also reiterated that she has all the right to participate in female events as she is a “woman”.

“As for whether I qualify or not, whether I am a woman or not, I have made many statements in the media,” she said. “I am fully qualified to take part in this competition. I’m a woman like any other woman. I was born a woman, I lived as a woman, I competed as a woman, there’s no doubt about that.”