Intro by Nigel Stewart

In today’s world of media, the common theme seems to be that being first is paramount to be correct. Thus, here we are in the midst of a scandal that could have been avoided had anyone involved with reporting false news just taken the time to actually research the person in question. Instead, what we got was a rushed story to discredit a boxer who has spent most of her life trying to achieve the same goal as her counterparts. Enter Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s double world champion Lin Yu-ting, both of whom were born female, have not been medically altered in any fashion, and have not been tested positive for any banned substances, have been incorrectly ran through the mud in the past week. This all started because Angela Carini opted to surrender her match with Khelif after only 46 seconds due to extreme pain in her nose. Khelif and Yu were both banned by the IBA during last years world championships for failing a chromosome test. The results of those tests and the reason for running them were not provided as proof however, and if recent discoveries about the IBA and their corruption aren’t enough to cast doubt their findings then I don’t what is.

Imagine fighting your whole life to get to the Olympics, the pinnacle of sporting excellence and recognition of greatness only to have your gender and character put into question because you hit really hard. Transgenders competing against cis gender athletes is a conversation that will rage on for a long time, however let’s leave these women out of the conversation.

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Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has probably been on the feed of whatever social media platform you use in past few weeks, likely a in a meme framing her as a man who is beating up women at the Olympics. You may have even seen it on the feeds of some of your favorite celebrities, politicians and political pundits. Unfortunately, this doesn’t appear entirely, or at all, accurate, but let’s break down the situation. 

In March of 2023, Khelif was disqualified from the Women’s Boxing World Championships by the International Boxing Association for failing unspecified eligibility requirements, though later reports indicated that her testosterone levels were too high for competition, and the IBA stated later that year that they had DNA tests that indicated she had XY chromosomes. The specifics of this test have never been revealed, and after a press conference held by the IBA Monday in Paris, it doesn’t seem like they will be anytime soon. “It’s never been our intention to bring any of this about,” said IBA secretary Chris Roberts. “We’re not allowed to give any information, but you can read between the lines what it means.” There have also been contradictions in their narrative previously stating “the athletes did not undergo a testosterone examination but were subject to a separate and recognized test, whereby the specifics remain confidential.” However, IBA president Umar Kremlev said during that same conference Monday, in Russian, that “we got the test results that they allowed us to take themselves and these tests show they have a high level of testosterone like a man. Man’s level of testosterone.” You either did or didn’t test their testosterone levels, theres no in between.

The IBA is also a Kremlin backed organization that was removed by the International Olympic Committee in June 2023 for corruption, and Russia was given a four year ban from competition by WADA in 2017 for a massive doping scheme, detailed by the head of the Russian lab Grigory Rodchencov in his book “The Rodchencov Affair”, which ultimately calls into question all lab procedure in the country’s sports sector. The IOC says it has seen those tests, but “from the conception of the test, to how the test was shared with us, to how the tests have become public, is so flawed that it’s impossible to engage with it”. Khelif has since been cleared for competition, but after knocking out Italy’s Angela Carini, her image suddenly started appearing in memes and posts accusing her being an openly transgender man who had just beaten up a biological female in brutal fashion. 

Since this wave of online misinformation, the IOC has issued a statement, saying: “We have seen in reports misleading information about two female athletes competing at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The two athletes have been competing in international boxing competitions for many years in the women’s category, including the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, International Boxing Association (IBA) World Championships and IBA-sanctioned tournaments.” 

“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. The IOC is saddened by the abuse that the two athletes are currently receiving. Every person has the right to practice sport without discrimination.”

After some online speculation that Khelif had a DSD (differences in sex development), the IOC issues this to their twitter accounts.

The opponent in that fight, Angela Carini, has also apologized to Imane through Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport. “All this controversy makes me sad. I’m sorry for my opponent, too. If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision. “Actually, I want to apologise to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke.”

The source or motivation for the misinformation is unclear, but regardless of how you feel about trans athletes, it is important to save that conversation for when it actually applies. Unfortunately, reactionary internet culture has made having these nuanced conversations and navigating grey areas increasingly difficult, but hopefully, the truth is a good place to start.