In a whirlwind of controversy that has gripped the sports world, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who won gold in the women’s welterweight division at the 2024 Paris Olympics, has been falsely accused of facing a lifetime ban from the World Boxing Organization (WBO) for being “biologically male.” The claim, which surfaced in October 2024 on dubious websites like sports.amazingtoday.net and was amplified on X by users like @sharrond62, alleges the WBO stripped Khelif of her medal and imposed a $25 million penalty. However, the WBO, International Olympic Committee (IOC), and multiple fact-checkers, including Reuters and BBC, have debunked these reports as “obviously false,” confirming Khelif remains recognized as a female athlete with no such sanctions. The saga, rooted in a 2023 disqualification by the discredited International Boxing Association (IBA), highlights the persistence of misinformation and its impact on Khelif’s legacy.
Khelif’s Olympic triumph was a historic moment for Algeria, marking her as the nation’s first female boxing gold medalist. Her dominant performance, defeating China’s Yang Liu 5-0, followed a tumultuous journey marred by online harassment and false gender claims. The controversy began in 2023 when the IBA, a Russian-led body banned from the Olympics since 2019 for governance issues, disqualified Khelif from the World Championships, citing an unspecified gender eligibility test. The IBA’s opaque process, criticized by the IOC as “arbitrary” and lacking due process, sparked rumors that Khelif was male or transgender, despite her lifelong identification and competition as a woman. High-profile figures, including J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk, fueled the fire with social media posts, some reaching over 100 million views, prompting Khelif to file a cyberbullying lawsuit in France.
The WBO, which oversees professional boxing, has no jurisdiction over Khelif, an amateur, and its legal counsel, Gustavo Olivieri, told BBC on October 12, 2024, that it “has not tested, nor banned” her. The IOC, which managed the Paris boxing events, reaffirmed Khelif’s eligibility, noting her passport and history of competing as a woman since 2018. IOC president Thomas Bach condemned the IBA’s tests as “illegitimate,” pointing to its Kremlin ties and lack of transparency. Khelif’s coach and the Algerian Boxing Federation echoed these denials, with the latter calling the ban claims “baseless” on October 3, 2024. Fact-checks by GLAAD and USA Today further clarified that Khelif is not transgender or intersex, debunking assertions of falsified documentation.
The false narrative, dubbed “Goodbye Olympic Liar” by sensationalist outlets, gained traction after Khelif’s 46-second victory over Italy’s Angela Carini, who quit the bout and later apologized for her reaction. Carini’s comment about the punch’s force, combined with the IBA’s prior disqualification, ignited a social media storm. Critics, including Donald Trump and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, questioned Khelif’s right to compete, while opponents like Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori and Bulgaria’s Svetlana Staneva made gestures implying Khelif wasn’t female. Despite this, Khelif’s resilience shone through, with Algerian fans chanting her name at Roland Garros and her hometown of Tiaret painting murals in her honor.
The fallout has been profound. Khelif, who turned professional in November 2023 and became a UNICEF ambassador, told SNTV that the bullying “harms human dignity” and pleaded for an end to such attacks. Her lawsuit, filed August 9, 2024, targets X for “aggravated cyber-harassment,” naming influential figures who spread misinformation. The Paris Prosecutor’s Office is investigating, with potential implications for online hate speech regulations. On X, sentiments are split: some users, like @LGBwiththeT, celebrated the WBO’s clarification, while others, like @NarbutTanya, propagated the false ban narrative, reflecting the challenge of combating disinformation.
The controversy underscores broader issues in women’s sports, particularly around gender eligibility. The IBA’s murky tests, possibly involving testosterone or chromosomes, lack scientific consensus, as Bach noted, questioning how to “identify men and women” definitively. Khelif’s case mirrors past scrutiny of athletes like Caster Semenya, raising ethical concerns about fairness versus inclusion. While the WBO and IOC have upheld Khelif’s status, the IBA’s lingering influence, backed by Russian interests, continues to sow division. Khelif’s gold remains intact, a symbol of her defiance against a “misogynist, racist, and sexist” campaign, as her lawyer Nabil Boudi described. As she navigates her professional career, her story serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of unchecked rumors and the resilience required to rise above them.
