The drama surrounding Olympic boxer Imane Khelif knows no end.
During the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, you couldn’t log onto any social media platform without seeing people comment on Khelif, an Algerian boxer who was accused of being a biological male while competing in the women’s 66kg division.
Khelif’s gender was called into question before stepping into the ring, but her 46-second TKO against Angela Carini caused widespread outrage among everyone, including Carini’s coach who condemned the International Olympic Committee for allowing Khelif to compete as a female.
Could any picture sum up our new men’s rights movement better? The smirk of a male who’s knows he’s protected by a misogynist sporting establishment enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head, and whose life’s ambition he’s just shattered. #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/Q5SbKiksXQ
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 1, 2024
Speculation over Khelif’s gender was initially fueled by her disqualification from the 2023 World Boxing Championships which was organized by the Russian-leg International Boxing Association. According to the IBA, Khelif failed unspecified gender eligibility tests. The IOC was quick to criticize the IBA’s initial disqualification, noting that Khelif was in fact born a female and no evidence to the contrary had ever been published.
However, that may no longer be the case.
According to a report from Reduxx, French journalist Djaffar Air Aoudia obtained a copy of the Olympian’s medical report which allegedly revealed during an MRI that “Khelif had no uterus, but instead had internal testicles and a ‘micropenis’ resembling an enlarged clitoris.”
The report also claims that Khelif has XY chromosomes, testosterone levels typical of males and that her parents are possibly blood relatives.
Unsurprisingly, former UFC fighter Jake Shields had plenty to say after learning of the report.
It crazy how many people believed that this was a female pic.twitter.com/6s25ACF39b
— Jake Shields (@jakeshieldsajj) November 4, 2024
“It crazy how many people believed this was a female,” Shields wrote on X.
Shields has often voiced his disdain for the transgender community. Last year, he had a very public feud with trans fighter Alana McLaughlin and called for the public execution of trans allies.
What Condition Does Imane Khelif Have?
Khelif is said to have a condition called 5-alpha reductase deficiency—an enzyme that converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone that is important for male sexual development.
“5-alpha reductase deficiency is a condition that affects sexual development before birth and during puberty,” according to MedlinePlus.gov. “People with this condition are genetically male, with one X and one Y chromosome in each cell, and they have male gonads (testes). Their bodies, however, do not produce enough of a hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT has a critical role in male sexual development, and a shortage of this hormone disrupts the formation of the external sex organs before birth.
“Many people with 5-alpha reductase deficiency are assigned female at birth based on their external genitalia. In other cases, affected infants are assigned male at birth based on their external genitalia, often an unusually small penis (micropenis) and the urethra opening on the underside of the penis (hypospadias). Still, other affected infants may be assigned either female or male at birth as their external genitalia do not look clearly male or clearly female.”
Interestingly, those with 5-alpha reductase deficiency can be assigned female or male at birth. The decision is largely based on the physical appearance of their genitalia, but during puberty, “an increase in the levels of male sex hormones leads to the development of some secondary sex characteristics, such as increased muscle mass, deepening of the voice, development of pubic hair, and a growth spurt.”
It should also be noted that the French journalist has yet to provide any details on how they came about obtaining a copy of Khelif’s medical record or any proof of its legitimacy.
Additionally, the website Reduxx.info is a Canadian news outlet known for its far-right propaganda and anti-trans commentaries so you’d be best served to take anything they publish with a grain of salt.
Check out Chael Sonnen’s comments about Imane Khelif below:
