A women’s rights group has demanded Imane Khelif’s Olympic gold medal be “taken away” following the emergence of an alleged report claiming to have evidence the Algerian wrestler was “biologically male”.
Khelif won gold in Paris in a dominant run to the final that came against the backdrop of a dispute over gender eligibility.
She had been excluded from the IBA-sanctioned Women’s World Boxing Championships in 2023, although the IOC, which had suspended the IBA, had cleared the Algerian to compete.
The controversy was further escalated after her second-round opponent, Angela Carini, retired at 46 seconds, citing pain in her nose and reportedly insisting that she had “never felt a blow like this.”
Khelif would win the competition and garner widespread applause in Algeria, however, he continued to receive abuse both online and in the media.
Co-founder of women’s rights group calls for Imane Khelif’s gold medal to be taken away
The 25-year-old claimed victory in Paris over the summer (pictured Wednesday night in PSG’s clash against Atlético Madrid)
Earlier this month, a report in France, which has yet to be confirmed as legitimate, claimed that the 25-year-old has “male characteristics” and XY chromosomes.
Now the co-founder of the Independent Council on Women’s Sport (ICONS) has claimed that Khelif should be stripped of the medal she won after being cleared to compete by the IOC, the main governing body of the Olympic Games.
“We agree that the medal and all awards should be withdrawn and given to the best performing female athlete,” ICONS co-founder Kim Jones said when asked by German outlet BILD.
Jones added: “Sanctions and penalties must be imposed to hold accountable those – including IOC and Algerian team bosses – who put women at serious risk through deception and loss of performance.”
“This case is a perfect example of what goes wrong when leadership is too afraid or too uninformed to do their job.”
The report was said to be a collaboration between French and Algerian expert endocrinologists working at the Kremlin-Bicetre hospital in Paris and the Mohamed Lamine Debaghine hospital in Algiers.
But Jacques Young, an endocrinologist at Bicetre hospital in Paris and co-author of the paper, told DW in Germany that he feels his name is being used to spread false information.
In a statement to D.W.The Algerian Olympic Committee stated: “These attacks, often based on unfounded accusations, aim to tarnish the image of an athlete who has honored our nation on the international stage.
Khelif won gold in the women’s welterweight division, although their second-round clash sparked controversy.
Angela Carini withdrew from the fight in 46 seconds and was left crying after her defeat.
Carini was hit twice and said his withdrawal was necessary to “preserve my life.”
“We firmly condemn these attempts at destabilization, which have no place in the world of sport.”
The IOC said it “will not comment while legal actions are ongoing or on media reports about unverified documents whose origin cannot be confirmed.” He then repeated a statement issued after the controversy at the Paris Olympics.
Khelif filed a legal complaint with French authorities over the online abuse and harassment she was subjected to during the Games and the IOC said it was also now taking action on new reports that emerged in France earlier this week.
“We understand that Imane Khelif has taken legal action against people who commented on her situation during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and is also preparing a lawsuit in response to the latest reports,” an IOC spokesperson said.
The IOC stated that it will not comment while the current legal action is ongoing.
Jacques Young, who is said to be a co-author of the leaked report, has broken his silence.
“The IOC will not comment while legal actions are ongoing or on media reports about unverified documents whose origin cannot be confirmed.”
The statement noted that Khelif had been competing in women’s boxing “for many years,” including at the previous Games in Tokyo, as well as IBA-sanctioned events.
Amid the backlash Khelif received during the Games, his father gave an emotional statement to Sky Sports.
‘My daughter is a girl. She was raised as a girl. She is a strong girl. I raised her to be hardworking and brave. He really wants to work and train,’ he said.