Former NFL player Shannon Sharpe has come to the defence of Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, whose presence at the 2024 Paris Olympics has sparked a global gender row.
The 25-year-old was cleared to compete in the women’s category at the Games after being rejected from last year’s world championships for allegedly having male “XY chromosomes”.
“She was born a woman,” Sharpe said on an episode of her podcast Nightcap. via Awful Announcing.
“Transgender people are trying to get rights. And when they go to the Capitol, these senators and representatives on the other side ask doctors very specific questions. ‘Doctor, I want to ask you one thing, can this woman have a child?’ Yes, she can… So how is she not a woman? Biologically and anatomically, how is she not a woman?” she continued.
Khelif is not a transgender woman and has never identified as such.
Former NFL player Shannon Sharpe showed his support for Algerian boxer Imane Khelif
The 25-year-old has been cleared to compete in the women’s category at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
However, she started making headlines after Italy’s Angela Carini abandoned her fight after just 46 seconds before breaking down in tears.
The defeated welterweight was hit twice, suffered a suspected broken nose and barely threw one punch before telling her corner “it’s not fair.”
He then fell to his knees, pounded the canvas in frustration and refused to shake Khelif’s hand after conceding victory.
Meanwhile, Olympic chiefs reaffirmed their decision to allow Khelif… and Taiwanby Lin Yu-ting – to compete after being disqualified from the 2023 world championships.
The IBA was the governing body overseeing the competition last year, but was stripped of its status by the IOC over governance issues and alleged corruption.
“Biologically and anatomically, how is she not a woman?” Sharpe said on her podcast.
Angela Carini abandoned her fight with Khelif after 46 seconds before breaking down in tears.
“They (Khelif and Yu-ting) were suddenly disqualified without any due process,” the IOC said in a statement after taking over management of boxing at the Games and the eligibility rules surrounding it.
“Everyone has the right to practice sport without discrimination,” the statement continued.
She also criticised “misleading information about two female athletes”, adding that the pair “have been competing in international boxing competitions for many years in the women’s category”.
The statement highlighted the “aggression” against the boxers which it said was “based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure.”
“This approach is contrary to good governance. Eligibility rules should not be changed during the ongoing competition, and any rule changes must follow proper processes and be based on scientific evidence… The IOC is saddened by the abuse currently being suffered by the two athletes.”
