Imane Khelif, the Algerian boxer who came under fire during the 2024 Paris Olympics over questions regarding the athlete’s biological sex, has admitted to having XY chromosomes, despite competing and winning in the women’s division in that Summer Olympics.
In an interview with French sports outlet L’Equipe, Khelif said that the athlete has the SRY gene, a gene located on the Y chromosome that triggers male development. Khelif has a female phenotype, referring to physical appearance, the outlet reported
Khelif said, “Yes, and it’s natural.” Khelif denied being transgender, saying, “I’m not trans, I’m a girl. I was raised as a girl, I grew up as a girl, the people in my village have always known me as a girl.” A medical report leaked in late 2024 stated that Khelif had a deficiency in sex development.
The Khelif said the athlete has lowered testosterone levels for competitions and said that the athlete would submit to genetic testing for the 2028 games, which will take place in the United States. Khelif also said, “For the qualifying tournament for the Paris Games, which took place in Dakar, I lowered my testosterone level to zero. And I won the gold medal there.” The French outlet noted that the average testosterone level for biological women lies between 0.3 and 3 nanomoles per liter of blood.
“We all have different genetics, different hormone levels. I’m not transgender. My difference is natural. I am who I am. I haven’t done anything to change the way nature made me. That’s why I’m not afraid. For the next Games, if I have to take a test, I will submit to it. I have no problem with that.”
Khelif won Olympic gold in the female welterweight division. Sex-test results from the 2023 International Boxing Association (IBA) Championships stated that “Chromosome analysis reveals Male Karyotype,” which refers to an individual’s complete set of chromosomes.
In the wake of Khelif’s Olympic win, World Boxing announced that all athletes would be required to undergo sex testing to determine gender eligibility, and told the Algerian Boxing Federal that Khelif would be barred from competing in the women’s category at the Eindhoven Box Cup and any other World Boxing event until Khelif underwent a genetic sex screening test.