Boxer Khelif takes legal action after medical claims
Imane Khelif, the boxer who won Olympic gold this year amid a gender eligibility row, is taking legal action over media reports allegedly detailing her leaked medical records, the International Olympic Committee has said.
Reports published in France this week claimed the 25-year-old has XY (male) chromosomes.
The boxer took gold in the women’s welterweight competition in Paris amid huge controversy after the International Boxing Association said the Algerian had been disqualified from last year’s World Championships for failing gender eligibility criteria.
Khelif’s first opponent in Paris, Italian fighter Angela Carini, signalled she could not continue with their bout 46 seconds in, saying she “had never felt a punch like this”.
Khelif filed a legal complaint with the French authorities over the online abuse and harassment she was subjected to during the Games and the IOC said on Wednesday she was now also taking action over new reports which emerged in France earlier this week.
“We understand that Imane Khelif has taken legal action against individuals who commented on her situation during the Olympic Games Paris 2024, and is also preparing a lawsuit in response to the latest reporting,” an IOC spokesperson said.
“The IOC will not comment while legal action is ongoing, or on media reports about unverified documents whose origin cannot be confirmed.”
The IBA was stripped of recognition by the IOC last year over governance failures. That meant it was the IOC which ran – and set the entry criteria for – the Olympic boxing tournament in Paris.
Its statement concluded: “The IOC is committed to protecting the human rights of all athletes who have taken part in the Olympic Games as per the Olympic Charter, the IOC Code of Ethics and the IOC Strategic Framework on Human Rights. The IOC is saddened by the abuse that Imane Khelif is currently receiving.”
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