Imane Khelif, Paris Olympics medalist, says will take legal action over male chromosome claims

Imane Khelif is taking action over reports which emerged in France earlier this week which alleged that the 25-year-old has XY (male) chromosomes

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who won Olympic gold in August, amid controversy regarding her gender, is taking legal action over reports from France this week that allegedly detailed her leaked medical records.

Imane Khelif took gold in the women’s welterweight competition at the Paris Olympics. (Photo by MOHD RASFAN / AFP) (AFP)

The Guardian reported that Khelif has filed a legal complaint with French authorities over the online abuse and harassment she was subjected to during the Games. It quoted the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as saying that she was now also taking action over new reports which emerged in France earlier this week which alleged that the 25-year-old has XY (male) chromosomes.

The claims had gone viral on social media, with several X users saying Italian boxer Angela Carini should be given the gold medal.

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In response to the row, Khelif had earlier stated that she was born a woman. “I'm a woman like any other woman. I was born as a woman, I live as a woman, and I am qualified.” She claimed that the gender controversy sparked by former US President Donald Trump, author J.K. Rowling, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk had impacted her a lot. She named Rowling and Musk in a criminal complaint filed with French authorities over alleged “acts of aggravated cyber harassment”.

The boxer took gold in the women’s welterweight competition at the Paris Olympics. It became a huge controversy with the International Boxing Association saying the Algerian had been disqualified from last year’s world championships for failing gender eligibility criteria. The IBA was stripped of recognition by the IOC last year over governance failures. That meant it was the IOC set the entry criteria for the Olympic boxing tournament in Paris.