Imane Khelif is one of the stories of 2024 — and she just might be this If she successfully turns pro, this will be a topic of conversation in 2025. In case you missed it, Khalif won a gold medal in the women’s 66kg boxing competition at the Paris Olympics, but she was accused of being a biological male.
Khalif, from Algeria, is not the only one affected by the sex storm. Although the International Boxing Association (IBA) informed the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that Khalif and Lin Yu-ting were disqualified from the previous year’s Amateur World Boxing Championships for failing to pass the “gender test”, Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting still weighed 57 kg Won the gold medal with level results. .
The IOC dismissed the usual red flags, or at least concerns, and concluded that the testing procedures and results did not come from reliable sources. What’s the reason? After multiple legal battles that stalled the year before the Paris Games, the IOC has successfully stripped the International Boxing Association (IBA), formerly known as International Boxing Association, of its right to govern boxing at the Olympics due to years of financial irregularities and widespread mismanagement. right. Judging from the seriousness of the charges against the IBF, this is the first time in Olympic history that a sports governing body has been expelled.
Given that many within the boxing industry are aware of the IBA’s past, the IOC’s stance is understandable, especially when one considers the mixed messages surrounding the announcement of these “failed” tests. Clarity is lacking every day, so what we really know is that the finer details won’t be revealed. To the outside world, however, the damage had been done: Khalif and Lim were widely believed to be men deliberately disguised as women – making a mockery of secrecy laws that allegedly prevented the IBA from revealing anything.
The IOC maintains its stance against AIBA – which appears to go both ways – with the IOC instead relying on the boxers’ passports and their respective international sports federations to prove their gender; both were born at birth Both are registered as women and have fought exclusively against women during their boxing careers. While both were top players, neither destroyed everyone and both suffered numerous defeats during their careers. Furthermore, despite some of Summer’s cruel comments to the contrary – mostly due to their “masculine” appearance – it should not be argued that they have all lived their lives as women and have identified as women their entire lives.
Both were allowed to compete in Paris and each won a gold medal in August. According to reports, the Netflix series Khelif, currently in post-production, may end here. However, reality is not so easy to manipulate.
In November, Lin was scheduled to compete at the World Boxing Cup in Sheffield, England, an event organized by the World Boxing Association. The World Boxing Association is an amateur governing body that was born out of the chaos of the IBA and is a competitor of the IBA. Lin was recalled by the Taiwan Sports Authority (TSA) shortly before he was due to fight, citing concerns about world boxing. Neither side has been able to satisfactorily explain why Lin was indeed deported, although there has been speculation that the TSA chose not to fan the flames of controversy that still burns brightly.
New smoke came in the form of an article published in France claiming that Khalif was born with a rare disease that prevented the development of typical genitalia. While the truth remains elusive, it suggests that she was mistakenly declared female at birth. Meanwhile, there are reports that Khalif is training in the United States and hopes to start her career there. Within weeks, at their annual end-of-year conferences, the two sanctioning bodies – the World Boxing Council (WBC) and the World Boxing Association (WBA) – expressed concerns about either being allowed to turn professional.
“At the end of the day, it’s about the integrity of our sport and the safety of our female boxers,” said Gilberto Mendoza, head of the WBA, the professional ranking body that works with the IBA.
Mauricio Sulaiman, Mendoza’s opponent in the WBC, the organization that has long opposed the IBA, said after trying to explain the conundrum: “A woman of any birth can only fight a woman of any birth and vice versa.” . Is that absolutely clear? I think, yes.”
The identities of Khalif and Lim are far from “absolutely clear” and all the sanctioning bodies can do is refuse to rank the fighters – they can’t prevent them from receiving licenses. However, it now appears that permission will only be obtained from a reputable committee if one “passes” said gender test (i.e. a test that identifies the chromosomal infrastructure). Dr. Nina Radcliff, a well-respected doctor, WBA representative and IBA supporter, said the fact that neither boxer has yet to step up to fight should be cause for alarm.
This summer it was suggested, but this has not been confirmed, that a Y chromosome was detected in both Khelif and Lin’s tests, leading to their removal from the 2023 World Championships. If that particular chromosome does exist, the medical fact would make a boxer’s desire to compete with women problematic.
Radcliffe claims that regardless of future treatments or surgeries, the Y chromosome (the male chromosome) will never appear in a female body. As a result, the Y chromosome ensures that the body develops male characteristics—usually increased muscle mass, larger bone structure, higher testosterone levels, and greater cardiorespiratory fitness—that tend to become apparent during and after puberty.
Of course, distinguishing males and females at birth should be simple, but in rare cases where reproductive organs do not fit the known definition of male, there is a margin of error and the baby may be assumed to be female – in particular, Radek Leaf theorized more than once that it would be impossible to be born without the help of an educated medical professional.
“Gender is biological, determined at birth and does not change; it has nothing to do with identity; it is entirely based on chromosomes and visible characteristics,” she explains. “We have three trillion cells in our bodies, and each cell has a set of chromosomes — DNA,” she continued. “These are thread-like structures, they’re the blueprint for how each cell works. It’s what gives us our physical characteristics, our personality, it’s all in the genes.”
Although males and females each have 22 pairs of essentially identical chromosomes (autosomes), these 23 pairsRD Pairing determines gender. Women have two X chromosomes, while men have one X and one Y. Radcliffe again insisted that this would never change.
She explains how the cellular structure determined at fertilization may differ between men and women as the body matures: “For sporting events, men are typically 10 to 30 times better than women in terms of strength, speed and power.” point. “
Not wanting to confuse the science, Radcliffe thinks it’s important to note the reasons for this difference: Simply put, men stay in puberty longer than women, so their increased exposure to testosterone generally means their bones and muscles will naturally become larger and stronger. Radcliffe also explained that men have increased red blood cells, larger lungs and stronger hearts, which is reflected in greater endurance.
To dispel the unfair implication – or, more pertinently at this time, to stop the smear campaign against Khalif and Lim – transparent testing is needed.
Chris Roberts, CEO, IBA Tell The Guardian He would welcome such a scene. “We did what we did, we told the IOC what happened,” he said. “We advised that we understood they were not eligible and that they [the IOC] Continue to allow them. If you have nothing to hide, run a public test. There is no requirement to lie. That’s it. We face no direct legal challenge. If they feel they’ve been treated unfairly, let’s go down that path. That would be brilliant. No problem at all. “
Whatever one’s view of the feud between AIBA and the IOC, testing remains key to their future if they hope to be recognized as fighters.
Radcliffe, a ringside doctor, believes it is time for the IOC to rework its rules around gender, which are currently in line with the World Health Organization, and chromosome testing is at the forefront of that change. “them [IOC] Support athletes who meet the International Foundation’s eligibility criteria – they don’t want to discriminate against athletes because of their gender identity or sex characteristics,” she said. “Why are the IOC and WHO making statements like this? “
After seeing this report published in a French magazine, her view on the matter became even stronger, correspondentclaimed that Khalif was born with XY chromosomes. The report’s findings, which draw on studies conducted by two different universities, have not been confirmed. “If these are true, but we can’t confirm they are, then Khalif was born male,” Radcliffe claimed.
One of six children from a poor shepherd family in the Algerian village of Biban Mesbah, Khalif went on to become an Olympic champion. However, this does not give people the right to join the dots. Now only Iman Khalif can do that.
