Cisgender Algerian Boxer Imane Khelif, Falsely Accused Of "Being A Man," Wins Gold

The boxer has been the subject of attacks from the far-right after a Russian-led boxing organization accused her of failing sex testing, despite being assigned female at birth.

NBC Broadcast // Imane Khelif Wins

On Friday, cisgender Algerian female boxer Imane Khelif secured gold in the final match of her weight class, defying far-right critics who have falsely claimed she is “a man.” Despite being assigned female at birth and living her entire life as a woman, Khelif faced a barrage of attacks questioning her gender. However, her participation was met with overwhelming support and cheers as she entered the arena, and ultimately won her match.

Khelif took the ring to cheers. The announcers described her life, “as a young girl, she helped her family sell scrap metal,” also noting the damaging nature of attacks on her gender. They also noted her opponent, Yang Liu, had a longer arm-span than Khelif.

The match started slowly and seemed evenly balanced, with Khelif narrowly taking the first round. In the second round, however, Khelif dominated, landing decisive blows as the announcers observed that the crowd was “clearly behind her.” By the end of the third round, it was evident that she had won, maintaining her dominance throughout the competition. When the final announcement declared her the winner, the crowd erupted in celebration.

Khelif’s victory comes after she faced intense criticism from far-right activists, major political figures, and opponents of transgender participation in sports. Despite never having transitioned genders, these critics labeled the cisgender female boxer as “a man.” For example, Donald Trump responded to Khelif’s previous win by declaring, “I WILL KEEP MEN OUT OF WOMEN’S SPORTS!” J.K. Rowling posted a picture of Khelif, stating, “Could any picture sum up our new men’s rights movement better? The smirk of a male who knows he’s protected by a misogynist sporting establishment enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head, and whose life’s ambition he’s just shattered.” Others joining in include Elon Musk, Riley Gaines, and JD Vance.

Disinformation about her gender identity even spread to major outlets, including the Boston Globe, which inaccurately referred to her as transgender. The paper quickly issued a major retraction of the claim.

See their retraction here:

“A significant error was made in a headline on a story in Friday’s print sports section about Algerian boxer Imane Khelif incorrectly describing her as transgender. She is not. Additionally, our initial correction of this error neglected to note that she was born female. We recognize the magnitude of this mistake and have corrected it in the epaper, the electronic version of the printed Globe. This editing lapse is regrettable and unacceptable and we apologize to Khelif, to Associated Press writer Greg Beacham, and to you, our readers.”

After Khelif’s previous match, she remained defiant, stating, “I dedicate this medal to the world, and to all the Arabs and I tell you, ‘Long live Algeria! I want to tell the entire world that I am a female, and I will remain a female.”

The original claim about Khelif’s sex eligibility arose when the scandal-plagued International Boxing Association (IBA) ruled her out of competition, alleging she failed an unspecified gender test after defeating an undefeated Russian boxer. Notably, the IBA is presided over by Umar Kremlev of Russia, an associate of President Putin. In 2023, the International Olympic Committee voted to derecognize the IBA due to concerns about corruption, governance, and judging controversies.

According to Kremlev, Khelif was disqualified from the IBA for having “XY chromosomes.” However, no such results have been publicly presented. Many cisgender women have XY chromosomes without knowing it, and some have even given birth. In 1996, chromosomal testing was used on all female Olympic athletes, only to discover that eight women had XY chromosomes without knowing it. Chromosomal sex testing was subsequently discontinued.

Imane Khelif’s victory stands as a pivotal moment in the ongoing conversation about sex and gender. While anti-trans activists may argue that sex is as simple as “XY chromosomes,” the reality is far more complex, with countless variations in chromosomes and reproductive development often overlooked. In their bid to stoke outrage against transgender individuals, the far right attempted to tear down a young female athlete. But those efforts have failed. Khelif now holds a gold medal that can never be taken from her, and the echoes of the crowd’s cheers will forever drown out the hateful rhetoric.