Imane Khelif is Biologically Female and Eligible to Compete in Women's Boxing at the Paris Games

Despite opposition from anti-trans celebrities and politicians, the International Olympic Committee has confirmed that Imane Khelif is eligible to compete in women's boxing at the Paris Games. Khelif gained widespread attention on social media after her impressive victory against Italy's Angela Carini, who conceded defeat just 46 seconds into their bout on the previous Thursday..

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Social Media Posts Say Imane Khelif is biologically male and non-eligible to compete in women's boxing at the Paris Games.

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We decided to do a fact-check on this.

Fact Check:

Background on Imane Khelif and the Disqualification Incident:

Imane Khelif, along with Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting, was disqualified from their championships in 2023 by the International Boxing Association (IBA) due to alleged failure in gender eligibility testing.

Both athletes had competed in the 2021 Tokyo Games without medaling.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) criticized the IBA's decision as “sudden and arbitrary.” More details can be read here.

Gender and DSD (Differences of Sex Development):

Imane Khelif has differences in sex development (DSD), which are rare conditions involving genes, hormones, and reproductive organs that can result in atypical sexual development.

DSD is distinct from being transgender. According to GLAAD and InterACT, Khelif is biologically female, not male, and does not identify as transgender or intersex. More Details can be read here.

DSDs can sometimes lead to a person having XY chromosomes while developing physically as a female. However, this biological variation does not disqualify Khelif from competing in women’s sports under the regulations set by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).More details about it can be read here.

A person may have sex chromosomes (bundles of genes) usually associated with being female (XX chromosomes) or traditionally associated with being male (XY chromosomes), but reproductive organs and genitals may look different from usual. This happens because of a difference in your genes, how you respond to the sex hormones in your body or both. It can be inherited, but there is often no clear reason why it happens. The most common times to find out that a person has a DSD are around the time of their birth or when they're a teenager. The National Health Service (NHS) of the UK clarified. Details can be read here.

IOC's Position and Commitment:

The IOC confirmed Khelif’s eligibility to compete in the Paris Games.

The organization expressed its commitment to protecting the human rights of all athletes and voiced concern over the abuse directed at Khelif and Lin Yu-ting—the IOC bases gender and age verification on athletes' passports.

IBA’s Stance and Controversies:

The IBA, which oversaw Olympic boxing before being stripped of its recognition before the Tokyo Games, stood by its decision to disqualify the boxers based on two "trustworthy" and "independent" tests.

These tests reportedly identified XY chromosomes in the athletes, but the specific nature of the tests was not disclosed.

Gender Parity and Transgender Inclusion:

The Paris Games is the first to achieve gender parity in Olympic history.

According to GLAAD and InterACT, transgender inclusion has not negatively impacted gender parity at the Olympics.

IOC guidelines state that athletes should not be excluded from competition due to alleged unfair advantages based on sex variations.

The Healthy Indian Project also clarified that Imane Khelif is not transgender. She is a cisgender woman, assigned female at birth and identifies as female and further says claims suggesting otherwise are false. The article can be read here.

Related Claims About Competitors:

A false claim surfaced that Irish professional boxer Kellie Harrington stated she would refuse to compete against "biological males" at the Paris 2024 Olympics. However, the Olympic Federation of Ireland told Lead Stories fact-checkers on August 2, 2024, that Harrington "does not recollect a conversation about this," and there is no record of her making such a statement. The Lead Stories article can be read here.

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Conclusion:

The claim that Imane Khelif is biologically male and ineligible to compete in women's boxing at the Paris Games is not true. Despite the IBA's disqualification in 2023, the IOC has confirmed her eligibility and emphasized their commitment to non-discrimination based on sex variations. The backlash against Khelif appears to stem from misunderstandings or misinformation about DSDs and transgender issues. Additionally, the related claim regarding Kellie Harrington refusing to compete against "biological males" has been debunked by the Olympic Federation of Ireland.