OLYMPIC champion Imane Khelif has threatened to take legal action after the International Boxing Association (IBA) launched a damning complaint against her gender eligibility.
Khelif was disqualified from competing in the 2023 Women’s Boxing World Championships after failing a gender eligibility test conducted by the IBA.
However, with the IBA losing its Olympic recognition over governance issues, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) cleared the Algerian welterweight to fight at the 2024 Paris Games.
Along with Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting – who, according to the IBA, also tested positive for XY chromosomes – Khelif was able to claim gold at the coveted tournament.
Since then, the boxing organisation has maintained its stance against the two Olympic champions, confirming that neither fighter will compete at this year’s World Championships.
Not only that but, on Monday, the IBA declared that, along with Swiss Attorney General Stefan Blatter, it will take legal action against the IOC for clearing the two athletes as female boxers.
In its statement, the boxing body also cited US President Donald Trump’s executive order – made on February 5 – which bans transgender women from competing in female sport.
Khelif, though, has since responded to the IBA’s complaint, insisting that its legal action against the IOC has no grounds.
“The IBA, an organisation that I am no longer associated with and which is no longer recognised by the IOC, have again made baseless accusations that are false and offensive, using them to further their agenda,” she said in a statement reported by Reuters yesterday.
“For two years, I have taken the high road while my name and image have been used, unauthorized, to further personal and political agendas through the spreading and dissemination of baseless lies and misinformation.”
Reuters have reported, too, that the 25-year-old mentioned in her statement that her team, while closely monitoring the situation, is prepared to respond with legal action of their own.
Regarding the IBA’s eligibility tests, meanwhile, there is still little information to suggest that they do, in fact, offer a fair reflection of one’s gender.
