THE MEDIA
There has been a recent uproar on social media about the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to allow two persons to box in the women’s competition at the ongoing Olympics in Paris.
This follows an incident where Italian female boxer Angela Carini abandoned her fight against Algeria's Imane Khelif in protest, amidst suspicions of her opponent's sexuality.
There appear to be multifaceted reasons why this was allowed and why it is back in the news again. There’s science, politics, and plain old misinformation at play.
THE POLITICS
Algeria’s Imane Khelif has always fought as a woman without question until the IBA determined she is male based on tests that have yet to be disclosed. However, she was expelled from competing in 2023.
Explaining the expulsion of Imane Khelif from the World Championships then, Umar Kremlev, the president of the International Boxing Association (IBA) stated that DNA testing of Khelif and other athletes "proved they had XY chromosomes and were thus excluded from the sports events".
The IBA released a statement saying “that Khelif and others did not undergo a testosterone examination but were subject to a separate and recognized test, whereby the specifics remain confidential", and that they "were found to have competitive advantages over other female competitors". The International Olympic Committee (IOC) released a statement in response, claiming that the IBA's decision was "sudden and arbitrary" and "without any due process".
Just hours after Khelif and Carini stepped out of the ring in Paris, the IOC released another statement. It stated:
“These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA. Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process.
“According to the IBA minutes available on their website, this decision was initially taken solely by the IBA Secretary General and CEO. The IBA Board only ratified it afterward and only subsequently requested that a procedure to follow in similar cases in the future be established and reflected in the IBA Regulations. The minutes also say that the IBA should “establish a clear procedure on gender testing”.
“The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure – especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years.
“Such an approach is contrary to good governance.”
It is clear that the politics of IOC vs IBA is factoring into these decisions. However, we don’t stop there and deal with the science.
THE BIOLOGY
A confidential source with knowledge about the ongoing debate regarding the gender of Algerian Imane Khelif has shed light on the controversy
The scientist and sports physician (who wants to remain anonymous as he is not authorized to speak) brought perspicuousness to the conundrum as he expatiated thus :
"Khelif is not transgender. However, the IOC will not and can not release medical information so speculations abound. I understand independent groups of physicians declared that she was cleared to box. That’s her as a young girl (pointing to pictures of Khelif's childhood pictures). It appears she has always boxed as a girl.” The expert continued;
“As to what Mr. Kremlev said, I’m not privy to what information so I can’t speak to it but if he is right that Khelif has XY chromosome then my suspicion is that she may have a condition called Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome or other similar condition called Swyer Syndrome. In this condition, the person is genetically male, but she is phenotypically (how she looks) female." He continues that “in this condition, the patient’s body does not respond (completely or partially) to testosterone hormones like a true male would despite making them or may have nonfunctional female reproductive organs like a uterus. A person may be making testosterone alright but it may be ineffective like it will work in a normal male”.
I asked my source if any testosterone in these individuals has any effect at all despite how small it is. He answered: “Despite the ineffectiveness of testosterone in these individuals, one can argue that even a small effect can have an impact considering the role of testosterone in the body such as muscle growth and repair, increase in the size of muscle fibers, which leads to increased muscle mass, and of course the increase of muscle strength due to its positive inotropic effect on muscle contraction. Testosterone also plays a critical role in bone formation and maintenance of bone strength which may give advantage to the athlete with more functional testosterone.”
CONCLUSION
Based on the above facts, it appears that politics between the two organizations has taken center stage and in the mainstream at the expense of individual lives and the sport of Olympic-style boxing.
The biology may put the conversation of Imane Khelif being transgender (as known to mainstream audiences) to rest but this same science does show that Khelif may have an advantage over her opponents. While both sides of the argument are right, what we know is she was born and raised that way and did not decide to change her gender to have an advantage. However, the rules may also need to be modified so that athletes like her do not have any advantage despite how minuscule it can be.
Samuel Opoku Amoah is a writer and boxing analyst for AceTVBoxing.com. He can be reached via email: samgolden715@gmail.com.
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