Imane Khelif was born in 1999 as a girl with Differences in sex development (DSD), which affects genes, hormones, and reproductive organs, including genitals. In simple words, such a rare condition could lead to making one look unfitting to the typical sex characteristics in society.
The controversy over her gender eligibility started as she was disqualified for the World Boxing Championship 2023 finals in New Delhi after winning over Russian boxer Azalia Amineva in the quarterfinals. The International Boxing Association (IBA) led by Umar Kremlev, a Russian sports functionary, claimed Imane Khelif and also Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting were disqualified due to having XY chromosomes, and high testosterone levels without further information about what kind of tests had been done. Ironically, IBA’s current statements about disqualifying athletes and accusing these female athletes of lying to the world about their gender have made the public believe it was a “transgender issue” in sports. After Imane’s win in 46 seconds over Italian boxer Angela Carini, the president of the IBA has also announced that the IBA would grant Angela Carini the prize money as if she were an Olympic champion which amounts to $50,000 for Carini, and $25,000 each for her coach and Italy's national boxing federation due to his feelings over Carini’s post-fight crying. However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) withdrew the recognition of the IBA in 2023 due to financial transparency, corrupt judging… and boxing is not on the current list of sports for Olympic Games LA 2028.
Aside from the politics in boxing, there is a group of people who believe that Imane Khelif should be disqualified since she has a significant natural advantage over female athletes. It’s like banning someone from playing basketball because the person is too tall... Arguably, being the champion of any sport means having a combination of physical advantage and relentless hard work. The Olympic Games is the highest stage of Amateur boxing and athletes dedicate their whole lives just to qualify for the Olympics. Imane Khelif spoke out about her position against bullying in the Olympics gender row after winning the quarter-final and stated, “It can destroy people”. Fighting in the ring while representing your country is already mentally and physically challenging; now imagine being wrongfully demonized by the whole world.
In the end, the human body is much more complex than we understand, and the current event exposed that yet still the majority of people rage bait over the issues rather than critical thinking. By saying the majority of people, it includes the list of names like Donald Trump, Elon Musk, JK Rowling, and many more. Sports should be the last thing that involves politics and discrimination.
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Tenuun Gantushig
A dynamic and versatile individual with diverse skills and interests, pursuing studies in Social Science. Having a varied background that spans professional Muay Thai Kickboxing, modeling, and skateboarding. Driven by a passion for capturing and sharing compelling stories.
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