Algerian boxer and Paris 2024 gold medallist Imane Khelif has condemned the International Boxing Association (IBA) after the organisation made fresh claims about her gender.
The IBA said on Monday it is to take legal action against the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over the inclusion of Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting at last year's Games.
The two female boxers were excluded from the IBA's 2023 World Championships after claims they failed gender eligibility tests, but the IOC cleared them to fight and both went on to win gold medals in Paris.
The IOC organised the boxing last summer following the expulsion of the IBA from the Olympic movement after financial and ethical irregularities.
Neither Khelif nor Lin are transgender women. Both were born and raised as women, which is how they are registered on their passports.
The IBA said their decision to take legal action was motivated by US President Donald Trump's executive order seeking to ban transgender athletes from participating in women's sports.
Khelif released a statement via her Instagram account late on Tuesday accusing the IBA of making “baseless accusations that are false and offensive” to “further their agenda”.
“For eight years, I have fought for my dream – eight years of sacrifice, discipline and perseverance to stand on the Olympic stage and represent my country with pride, and I will continue to stand firm in the face of any challenge,” the statement read.
“For two years, I have taken the high road while my name and image have been used, unauthorised, to further personal and political agendas through the spreading and dissemination of baseless lies and misinformation. But silence is no longer an option.
“The International Boxing Association (IBA), an organisation that I am no longer associated with and which is no longer recognised by the International Olympic Committee, have again made baseless accusations that are false and offensive, using them to further their agenda. This is a matter that concerns not just me but the broader principles of fairness and due process in sport.”
On Monday, the IBA said it is “filing an official complaint with the Attorney General of Switzerland ... regarding the IOC's actions”. The body added that it was filing similar complaints in France and the United States.
“President Trump's order to ban transgender athletes from women's sport validates IBA's efforts to protect the integrity of female sports,” claimed IBA president Umar Kremlev, a controversial figure with links to the Kremlin.
However, the IOC dismissed the IBA's position, telling AFP: “This IBA statement is just another example of IBA's campaign against the IOC which is continuing since their recognition was withdrawn by the IOC for issues related to governance, judging and refereeing as well as questions around their finances. The two female athletes mentioned by IBA are not transgender athletes.
“They were born as women, were raised as women, and have competed in the women's category for their entire boxing careers, including at previous international competitions such as the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, when both of them did not win a medal.
“They also competed in IBA World Championships and IBA-sanctioned tournaments before they became victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA.
“Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023 they were disqualified, without any due process,” it added.
Mr Trump last week falsely called Khelif a male and signed an executive order banning transgender girls and women from competing in women's sports.
Surrounded by dozens of girls and women, many in sporting attire, Mr Trump gave examples of transgender women participating in women's sports including, wrongly, Khelif.
“And who could forget last year's Paris Olympics, where a male boxer stole the women's gold medal after brutalising his female opponent so viciously that she had to forfeit just after 46 seconds, and she was a championship fighter,” Mr Trump said during the ceremony.
He was referring to Khelif's first round win over Italy's Angela Carini. The Italian quit the bout after 46 seconds in tears, claiming that she had never been punched so hard in her career. She later apologised for her behaviour. According to Boxrec, Khelif has an amateur record of 46-9 with just seven wins by stoppage.
The incident led to a harassment campaign against her on social media involving a number of high-profile figures – including Mr Trump and the British author JK Rowling.
She received enormous backing, both in the stands in Paris and back home in Algeria, where she was later given a rapturous welcome on her return after defeating China's Yang Liu to top the podium.
The false claims did not stop there though, and last December Khelif said that any future efforts to question her gender would lead to legal action.
