Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, the 2024 Paris Olympic women’s welterweight gold medalist, addressed ongoing questions about her gender eligibility in interviews with French outlet L’Équipe and CNN.
Assigned female at birth, raised as a girl, and identifying as a woman, Khelif confirmed possessing the SRY gene — typically on the Y chromosome and associated with male development — describing it as a natural genetic variation.
She emphasized she is not transgender and has not altered her natural state.
“This is who I am. I haven’t done anything to change the way nature made me,” Khelif said.
Khelif revealed undergoing medical hormone treatments to lower her naturally elevated testosterone levels for competition compliance, including before the 2024 Olympics.
She expressed willingness to undergo required genetic sex testing for future events, including the 2028 Los Angeles Games, while appealing World Boxing’s mandatory testing policy — introduced in 2025 and barring her from events pending verification — through the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The topic remains divisive. Khelif previously faced disqualification by the International Boxing Association in 2023 over eligibility tests (amid its derecognition by the IOC), sparking debates on fairness, safety, and inclusion in women’s sports.
She described the scrutiny as causing significant psychological trauma for her and her family, urging protections that avoid harming athletes who were assigned female at birth and raised accordingly.
