The true gender of Imane Khelif, who won a gold medal at the Olympics while saying "I am a woman," has been revealed.

The Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who made headlines in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with gender controversies, was proven to have XY chromosomes by a medical report after winning the gold medal in the women's 66 kg boxing category.

WON A GOLD MEDAL IN WOMEN'S CATEGORY

In the women's 66 kg boxing category at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif won the gold medal by defeating all her opponents. Italian boxer Angela Carini withdrew from the match against Khelif at the 46th second of the first round, stating that Khelif was as strong as a man.

SAID "I AM A WOMAN"

Khelif, who was targeted by criticism from many Olympic competitors and spectators due to her appearance and strength, sparked gender controversies. Following the rise of these gender debates, Khelif and the Algerian administration made a statement claiming that the boxer was a born woman.

IT WAS REVEALED THAT SHE HAD TESTICLES

A feminist movement platform named Reduxx obtained a report from a French journalist that revealed Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has "testicles." The report was prepared through a collaboration between the Kremlin-Bicetre hospital in Paris, France, and the Mohamed Lamine Debaghine hospital in Algiers, Algeria, in June 2023.

SHE HAS A DISEASE FOUND ONLY IN MEN

A report prepared by expert endocrinologists Soumaya Fedala and Jacques Young reveals that Khelif is affected by a sexual development disorder known as 5-alpha reductase deficiency, which is found only in biological males. This genetic abnormality affects the normal development of a child's sexual organs. At birth, male babies affected by 5-alpha are often incorrectly assigned female due to the presence of deformed genital organs that sometimes take on the appearance of a "blind vaginal pouch." This irregular development typically becomes apparent during puberty when 5-alpha adolescents begin to experience masculinization signs such as muscle growth, hair growth, and breast tissue development or amenorrhea. Without access to appropriate clinical examination, males with 5-alpha may mistakenly believe they are women in adulthood.

IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT SHE HAS XY CHROMOSOMES

At the end of October, French journalist Djaffar Ait Aoudia obtained a copy of a comprehensive physical examination conducted on Khelif to confirm the existence of a sexual development disorder. According to Aoudia, the clinical report revealed that an MRI showed Khelif does not have a uterus, but instead has internal testicles and a "micropenis" resembling an enlarged clitoris. A chromosomal test confirmed that Khelif has an XY karyotype, while a hormone test found that Khelif has a testosterone level typical of males. Aoudia also noted that doctors suggested Khelif's parents might be blood relatives.

DESPITE THE REPORT, SHE WAS ALLOWED TO COMPETE WITH WOMEN

This report aligns with Khelif's coach Georges Cazorla's earlier confession that the Algerian boxer was evaluated at the Kremlin-Bicetre Hospital after being disqualified from women's boxing by the International Boxing Association (IBA) in March 2023. In an interview in August, Cazorla moderately acknowledged that endocrinologists had identified "a problem with Khelif's chromosomes" at that time. Despite this fact, Cazorla insisted that Khelif should still be allowed to compete with women.

TOOK TESTOSTERONE SUPPRESSANT MEDICATIONS BEFORE THE OLYMPICS

Cazorla also stated that Khelif was started on testosterone suppressants following her 2023 medical evaluation. However, the International Olympic Committee has not subjected athletes to chromosomal testing since 1999, and the only requirement for participating in women's boxing at the Paris Olympics was to have a female gender marker on legal documents. Alan Abrahamson, an associate professor at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, stated in August that he personally saw the controversial chromosomal test results requested by the IBA in 2022 and 2023, which concluded that "the boxer's DNA consists of XY chromosomes belonging to a male."

PUBLICATION OF RESULTS WAS BLOCKED

The news of Khelif's leaked medical report came after she won the gold medal in the women's 65 kg category at the Paris Olympics. In collaboration with the Independent Council on Women's Sports (ICONS), Reduxx was the first media outlet to report Khelif's participation in women's boxing in Paris, raising alarm bells due to her disqualification from women's boxing by the IBA.

The news sparked a storm of controversy as the IBA opposed the IOC's decision to allow biological men to box against women in Paris. In a press conference held in August, the IBA repeatedly confirmed that Khelif had failed multiple chromosomal tests but stated that the publication of the results of these tests was blocked by the Algerian Olympic Committee.