The Western Journal

Olympic Committee ‘Ignored’ Warnings About Boxer Who Failed Gender Tests in Stunning Discovery: WBO Official

The article discusses the controversy surrounding Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who⁤ has ⁢faced criticism for competing in women’s boxing despite ‌possessing male chromosomes. Defenders of Khelif argue ​that ⁣she was born with a genetic anomaly that ‌justifies her ⁢classification as female. The issue intensified in ​2023‌ when the⁤ International Boxing Association banned⁤ Khelif ‍and another⁣ boxer,‍ Lin Yu-ting,⁢ from competing in the ⁣female​ category due to failed sex chromosome tests.

World Boxing⁤ Organization officials had previously warned the International​ Olympic Committee (IOC) about potential complications‌ arising from Khelif’s participation,​ which the IOC​ dismissed. Khelif has competed ⁢as a woman for years and recently received⁢ support​ from IOC President Thomas Bach, ‌who stated‍ that her identity as a ⁣woman⁣ was valid, ‍emphasizing the distinction between ‍gender identity and biological‍ sex.

Amidst heated‌ debates on gender​ identity in‍ sports, Khelif ‍has won⁤ matches‌ against female opponents, leading to public outcry‍ and calls for reform in the regulations governing competitive sports. Critics argue that allowing‌ Khelif to compete in women’s categories poses a risk to female ‌athletes, sparking discussions on the definition of ⁣womanhood in sporting contexts. Khelif, however, has expressed gratitude towards the IOC for their support, insisting that she has ‌been ‌treated unfairly by previous ⁢organizations.


Long before the scandal over Algerian boxer Imane Khelif became a controversy that has blotted out much of the Paris Olympics, the International Olympic Committee was warned what was coming.

Khelif has an X and a Y chromosome, the hallmarks of being a male.

However, in recent days defenders have said that the fighter, who has boxed in the female category for years, was born with a genetic anomaly and should be considered female.

The issue originally came to a head in 2023, when the International Boxing Association banned Khelif and fellow boxer Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan from fighting in the female championship because they failed sex chromosome tests.

But a World Boxing Organization official said the International Olympic Committee was warned in 2022 about what was coming, according to the U.K.’s Daily Mail.

Istvan Kovacs, the European vice president of the WBO and former Secretary General of the IBA, said that the IOC brushed aside the warning.

“The problem was not with the level of Khelif’s testosterone, because it can be adjusted nowadays, but with the result of the gender test, which clearly revealed that the Algerian boxer is biologically male,” Kovacs said.

In the crucible of global publicity that has followed Khelif’s pummeling of her first opponent and her victory over a second female, the IOC has dug in its heels.

IOC President Thomas Bach has said Khelif is a biological woman and called the tests used by the IBA “illegitimate.”

“Let’s be very clear here: We are talking about women’s boxing,” Bach said, according to ESPN. “We have two boxers who are born as a woman, who have been raised a woman, who have a passport as a woman, and who have competed for many years as women. And this is the clear definition of a woman. There was never any doubt about them being a woman.”

“What we see now is that some want to own the definition of who is a woman,” Bach said. “And there I can only invite them to come up with a scientific-based new definition of who is a woman, and how can somebody being born, raised, competed and having a passport as a woman cannot be considered a woman?”

Khelif showered praise on the IOC for being allowed to fight in the female category.

“I know that the Olympic Committee has done me justice, and I am happy with this remedy because it shows the truth,” Khelif said, the Daily Mail reported.

“The Arab population has known me for years and has seen me box in the IBA that wronged me [and] treated me unfairly, but I have God on my side,” Khelif said.


Khelif fights Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand on Tuesday.






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