Olympic Boxing Champion Imane Khelif Takes Legal Action Over Medical Reports Controversy

11/08/2024 06:37 AM

Imane Khelif, the Olympic boxer who won gold at the 2024 Paris Games, is taking legal action against media reports in France that claimed she has XY chromosomes. These reports also allegedly leaked her medical records.

Imane Khelif and Le Correspondant

Algeria’s Imane Khelif was a target of a smear campaign by bad-faith attackers who were looking for a target. Ultimately, as Chael Sonnen explained, “Alleging that this Algerian boxer had a test showing she had the XY chromosome, which would indicate biological maleness. But this is simply not true. The test never happened. The IBA never claimed such a test was done.” It factually was a false story.

French publication ‘Le Correspondant’, a Catholic journal, said they had reports confirming her chromosomes, despite the IBA never claiming they had such tests. Now, due to this, Imane Khelif is taking them to court.

Khelif has filed a legal complaint over the online harassment she received during the Games, and now she's taking action against the new media reports. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said it's saddened by the abuse Khelif has faced and confirmed that all Olympic competitors, including Khelif, met the necessary eligibility and medical standards, based on their official documents.

She has decided to take legal action against the French media outlet that published the reports, asserting that they have damaged her reputation and caused her significant distress. She added: "I am fully qualified to take part in this competition – I am a woman. I was born a woman, I've lived as a woman and I've competed as a woman. There's no doubt that there are enemies of success and that gives my success a special taste because of these attacks."