Imane Khelif resorts to legal actions after defamation on Social Media

New Delhi: Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has hit out with legal action against critics on social media over the ‘gender row’. The Algerian boxer is taking legal action over media reports about leaked medical records, the International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday.

Reports published in France this week claimed Khelif, 25, has XY, or male, chromosomes. The gender controversy ignited at the Paris Games in August when Khelif defeated Angela Carini in 46 seconds in her opening bout, the Italian reduced to tears and abandoning the fight after suffering a badly hurt nose.

Imane Khelif is a biological woman and if you want to protect our daughters, you should protect her. If you don’t do the research to find the truth, then we should be protected from you. pic.twitter.com/c0eB2NtpzP

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) August 2, 2024

It led to a row that attracted comments from politicians and personalities ranging from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to “Harry Potter” author JK Rowling.

According to recent comments from the IOC, the Olympic Committee distanced itself from the legal battle that is raging between Khelif and French authorities. The IOC remarked:

Is Imane Khelif a male or female?

According to the latest ‘leaked’ medical report, the presence of ambiguous genitalia and secondary male characteristics has made many suggest that the pugilist is indeed a ‘biological male’.

A report by French journalist Djaffar Ait Aoudia stressed that Imane Khelif had internal testicles and an XY chromosome makeup, which hint towards a 5-alpha reductase deficiency. As the report became public, IBA President Umar Kremlev demanded an apology from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach for allowing a ‘man’ to compete against women in the Paris Olympic Games.