Imane Khelif’s talent and gender are not up for debate

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif knocked it out of the park in her first Olympic fight. While competing in the women’s welterweight event, her opponent, Italy’s Angela Carini conceded in just 46 seconds.

Then came the haters.

Many on social media expressed outrage over Khelif's win, misgendering her as a man, or a trans woman, a dangerous allegation to make towards a citizen of Algeria, where being transgender is considered a crime.

Anyone who’s an athlete or has ever played competitive sports will tell you that half the battle is mental fortitude. It's acceptable to critique technical abilities, but crossing the line into derogatory comments, hate speech and mass harassment is not. Especially considering we're discussing a woman of color, it's important to ask: why is extra resilience expected of them?

No proof in the pudding

Khelif, who’s been a rising star in the realm of professional boxing, won a silver medal in International Boxing Association’s (IBA) 2022 World Championship. However, the same body disqualified her from competing in last year’s championships, right before her gold medal match and just after she beat Azalia Amineva in the ring, a formerly undefeated Russian star.

IBA, under its president Umar Kremlev, claimed that she, and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, failed an unspecified eligibility test and were found to have “competitive advantages over other female competitors” owing to alleged elevated testosterone levels.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has rejected the results of the IBA-ordered tests as arbitrary and illegitimate, saying there was no reason to conduct them.

"I cannot tell you if they were credible or not credible (gender tests) because the source from which they came was not credible and the basis for the tests was not credible," said IOC spokesperson Mark Adams.

The debate over testosterone levels as a marker for gender eligibility is particularly contentious. Many argue that this approach is overly simplistic and does not account for the complex interplay of genetics, physiology, and individual variation. The IBA’s ambiguous conclusions would’ve raised eyebrows, if more people cared about women’s boxing; instead, what they said was taken was taken at face value.

Ironically, IBA itself has been banned from preceding over the past two Olympic boxing tournaments owing to years of lack of financial transparency, governance misdeeds and allegations of corruption. This paved the way for the IOC to oversee boxing at the Paris Olympics, which has continued to support Khelif against "baseless propaganda" and "unethical targeting". The IOC has also urged national boxing federations to create a new global governing body or risk the sport missing out on the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

Keeping her head down, and held high

Adams said everyone competing in the women's category is complying with the competition eligibility rules. “They are women in their passports and it's stated that this is the case, that they are female.”

Also read: Body shaming in sports: Is Azam Khan fair game?

Speaking to AP's SNTV, after beating both Carini and Hungary's Anna Luca Hamori, Khelif says such rampant bullying of athletes harms human dignity.

"God willing, this crisis will result in a gold medal, and that would be the best response.”

This unfortunate debacle should serve as a call to action for sports organizations and society to foster an environment that supports all athletes, ensuring they are judged by their abilities rather than subjected to unjust discrimination. And as far as we judge from what's gone down in the ring, it's only onwards and upwards for Khelif.

The 25-year-old faces off against Thailand's Janjaem Suwannapheng on Tuesday.