2024.08.01 - Olympic Trans Scandal

Summary

Written on August 2nd, 2024

A large scandal erupted when Italian boxer Angela Carini forfeited after 46 seconds into a fight with Algerian boxer Imane Khelif in an Olympic Women’s Boxing match. Due to a statement released the day before by the International Boxing Association, an organization that was suspended by the IOC in 2019, many people (see: conservative commentators) have accused Khelif of being either transgender or intersex.

As of August 2nd, there is no credible evidence whatsoever that Khelif is trans or intersex. The IBA has been an organization that has been plagued with scandals for many years, hence their eventual withdrawal from the IOC in 2023. It can be said that the IBA is likely influenced significantly by Russia, as the CEO since December 12th, 2020 is Umar Kremlev, who’s background is in Russian boxing, and because their primary sponsor is Gazprom, a Russian energy company. Khelif was also disqualified in 2023 after she defeated Russian boxer Azalia Amineva, before her finals match.

Khelif has competed since she was 19 years old, she is from the country of Algeria and appears to have a life lived as a female according to her family. She has competed and lost to other cisgender women in the past. Nothing about her current or past performance seems to suggest that she is transgender or intersex.

Sources

1. IBA, “IBA Board of Directors Meeting Minutes March 25th, 2023, 10:00 – New Delhi, India
   1. April 29th, 2023; Accessed August 1st, 2024
2. Unicef, “A top female boxer, Imane Khelif, dreams of gold to inspire young people” 2. March 8th, 2024; Accessed August 1st, 2024
3. IBA, “Statement made by the International Boxing Association regarding Athletes Disqualifications in World Boxing Championships 2023”
   1. July 31st, 2024; Accessed august 1st, 2024
4. Washington Post, “Olympic boxer who faced gender-eligibility claim wins, igniting outcry” 3. August 1st, 2024; Accessed August 1st, 2024
5. Fox News, “Who is Imane Khelif: The Algerian Olympic boxer deemed to have male chromosomes”
   1. August 1st, 2024; Accessed August 1st, 2024
6. International Olympic Committee, “Joint Paris 2024 Boxing Unit/IOC Statement”
   1. August 1st, 2024; Accessed August 1st, 2024
7. The Guardian, “Angela Carini abandons Olympic fight after 46 seconds against Imane Khelif”
   1. August 1st, 2024; Accessed August 1st, 2024

Notes

• What happened?
  • Algerian Boxer Imane Khelif is accused online of being trans after a female Italian fighter gave up after 46 seconds in the first round in a boxing match in the Paris Olympics on August 1st
• Unicef, “A top female boxer, Imane Khelif, dreams of gold to inspire young people”
  • This article claims at an early age that Khelif excelled in athletic events, and was inspired to take up boxing after “dodging punches” from boys her age in the village she’s from.
• Washington Post, “Olympic boxer who faced gender-eligibility claim wins, igniting outcry”
  • Two female boxers who were DQ’d by the International Boxing Association last year in New Dehli for failing to “meet eligibility rules” because “it was proven they have XY chromosomes.”
  • The IOC does not test for gender, and there is no evidence that Khelif or Lin have XY chromosomes or elevated levels of testosterone; they’ve both competed in prior championships, including at the Tokyo Olympics.
  • In 2023, IBA President Umar Kremlev told Tass, a Russian news agency, that the boxers were given DNA tests; George A. Yerolimpos, the IBA’s CEO and secretary general at the time, said both women failed two different tests.
    • No specific information was given about what the lab tested for.
    • The IBA released a statement that the women didn’t undergo a testosterone examination, but “a separate and recognized test.”
  • The IOC released a statement claiming that the prior disqualifications were “arbitrary” and “taken without any proper procedure.”
  • Three people familiar with the details of the women pointed out that their prior DQ came three days after Khelif defeated Russian Azalia Amineva.
  • Important Notes - Washington Post article’s tone seems to blame Russian propaganda and a rigged/corrupt IBA as the reason why people are now claiming that the two boxers are transgender. According to WaPo, it seems that no credible evidence exists at this point in time to conclude either boxer is transgender.
• Fox News, “Who is Imane Khelif: The Algerian Olympic boxer deemed to have male chromosomes”
  • Khelif debuted at 19 years old
    • Came in 17th at the 2018 World Championships, sanctioned by IBA
    • 19th in the 2019 Women’s World Boxing Championships
    • 2nd place in 2022 in the Women’s World Boxing Championships
    • Won gold medals in the 2022 African Championships, Mediterranean Games and 2023 Arab Games
  • In 2023, Khelif was disqualified in a gold medal fight over gender eligibility issues, with IBA President Umar Kremlev to Russia’s TASS Agency: “Based on DNA tests, we identified a number of athletes who tried to trick their colleagues into posing as women. According to the results of the tests, it was proved that they have XY chromosomes. Such athletes were excluded from competition.”
  • The Algerian Olympic Committee said that Khelif was DQ’d for high T levels, according to Reuters (according to Fox)
  • The IBA reiterated in a new statement before Kheli’s match on August 1st, claiming that Khelif and Lin were disqualified after testing, also stating: “This test conclusively indicated that both athletes did not meet the required necessary eligibility criteria and were found to have competitive advantages over other female competitors.”
  • The IBA says Khelif underwent two tests, one in 2022 and the other in 2023, but withdrew from the appeal process for the 2023 decision.
  • Important Notes - The Fox News article is relatively even and doesn’t heavily examine any of the backgrounds or motivations for anything being said and just lays out the facts as they are.
• IBA, “Statement made by the International Boxing Association regarding Athletes Disqualifications in World Boxing Championships 2023”
  • The IBA made a statement the day before the fight, claiming that, although they did not do a T level test, they did another test, who’s specifics are confidential, but they claim it accurately assessed that “both athletes did not meet the required necessary eligibility criteria and were found to have competitive advantages over other female competitors.”
  • Important Notes - Why is the IBA releasing this statement? Why are they so vague about what tests they did, or how they determined the two competitors to be ineligible? Is this standard practice when announcing these kinds of disqualifications?
• International Olympic Committee, “Joint Paris 2024 Boxing Unit/IOC Statement”
  • The IOC claims that the IBA’s disqualification of the two boxers was done in an arbitrary manner by the IBA, stating that, according to IBA minutes, “this decision was initially taken solely by the IBA Secretary General and CEO” and only ratified/verified afterwards.
  • The IOC claims that gender is only determined by looking at a competitor’s passport.
  • Important Notes - The IOC claims that there is good reason to believe that the IBA’s decision is arbitrary and that they lacked clear guidance on even how to test for gender, and also note the IBA’s suspension in 2019 and withdrawal of recognition in 2023.
• The Guardian, “Angela Carini abandons Olympic fight after 46 seconds against Imane Khelif”
  • This contains the largest statements I could find from the fighter.
  • Important Notes - She never claims she “feared for her life” or anything like that, and doesn’t seem to offer an opinion on whether or not the fight was unfair in any way.

What Happened?