Imane Khelif also said he was taking hormones to reduce his testosterone levels.
By Catholics for Catholics
The boxer from Algeria who pummeled his way to dominate women’s boxing at the Paris Olympics conceded to having a gene which only exists in males, in addition to taking hormones to reduce his testosterone levels.
Imane Khelif, 26, garnered attention for competing as a woman despite failing several gender tests. The boxer told the French outlet L’Équipe on Wednesday that he had SRY (sex-determining region Y), a gene that dictates male sex, according to a story by Newsmax.
Khelif also told L’Équipe that he took hormones to lower his testosterone levels before fighting in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“I have female hormones. And people don’t know this, but I have taken hormone treatments to lower my testosterone levels for competitions,” Khelif said. “For the Paris Games qualifying tournament, which took place in Dakar, I lowered my testosterone levels to zero.”
Nabbing the women’s welterweight division, Khelif won every single round during the entire Olympics. Khelif’s victories happened even after the competitor failed two gender tests administered by the International Boxing Association in 2019 and 2023, which is not affiliated with the Olympic Committee.
Italian olympic boxer, Angela Carini, is forced to quit after being beaten by a man pretending to be a woman in Paris.
— Mrgunsngear (@Mrgunsngear) August 1, 2024
She's dedicated a large portion of her life to get to this point and this is how it ends….#Olympic2024 #olympics #tranny pic.twitter.com/h6Ck1rzo3Q
Khelif argued that “it’s natural” to have the SRY gene. “We all have different genetics, different hormone levels. I’m not transgender. My difference is natural. This is who I am. I haven’t done anything to change the way nature made me. That’s why I’m not afraid,” he added.
Marshi Smith and Kim Jones, the co-founders of the Independent Council on Women’s Sports, said that it proved that Khelif was male.
“Algerian Olympic women’s gold medalist Imane Khelif has now confirmed he is male,” they said in a joint statement. “With men no longer eligible for Olympic women’s boxing under World Boxing rules, Khelif reportedly plans to box professionally in Europe—though he inexplicably says he will still undergo sex screening for the LA 2028 Games in hopes of competing.”
The controversy drew international attention, with President Donald Trump weighing in during his 2024 election campaign to say that Khelif was a man.
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