Is Imane Khelif male or female? It's a little more complicated

Time of India

2 days ago

Imane Khelif (Image credit: Instagram)
Let's talk about Imane Khelif — Olympic champ, national hero, and, lately, the center of one of the messiest gender debates in sports. She's a powerhouse in the ring, no doubt. But when it comes to how people define her outside the ropes? Well, that's where things get a bit tricky.
Imane Khelif's rise is the kind of underdog story people love. She grew up in Tiaret, Algeria, and didn't exactly have the easiest road to success. But that didn't stop her. She punched her way to the top, snagging silver at the 2022 World Championship and gold at the African Championship that same year. Fast forward to the 2024 Paris Olympics, and boom — gold medal in the women's 66kg boxing category. First Algerian woman to ever do it.
That win? Huge.
When she got home, it was straight-up movie stuff. Cheering crowds, people waving flags, her riding on top of a city bus like a national treasure. Algeria was proud — and they had every reason to be.
But just as her star was rising, the noise around her gender identity started to get loud. Really loud.
Back in 2023, at the World Championships in New Delhi, things took a turn. The International Boxing Association (IBA) disqualified Khelif, saying she didn't meet their gender eligibility rules.
Why? They claimed she had XY chromosomes — which, biologically, are usually associated with males.
Social media exploded. People had questions, opinions, and let's be honest — a lot of judgments.
But then the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stepped in, looked at the same case, and said: 'She's good to go.' Their stance was clear — Khelif was born female, lives as a woman, and holds a female passport. For the IOC, that was enough.
They even accused the IBA of botching the whole thing and maybe spreading misinformation.
Still, the story wouldn't die.
In 2025, things got even more complicated. Leaked medical documents suggested that, yes, Khelif might have XY chromosomes after all. That reignited the whole debate — not just about her, but about sports in general. What makes someone eligible to compete as a woman? Is it your chromosomes? Hormones? Lived experience? Gender identity?
That's when the World Boxing Federation (which will be running the show at the 2028 LA Olympics) decided, 'Alright, everyone's getting genetically tested from now on.'
That includes Khelif. She'll have to go through it all over again if she wants to keep boxing at the top level.
Through all of it, Khelif hasn't backed down
She filed criminal complaints in France against people and outlets spreading what she called lies about her. The whole situation has been emotionally exhausting for her. She's spoken out about how damaging and cruel the whole ordeal has been — not just to her, but to other athletes who find themselves caught in similar crossfires.
She's not just fighting for medals anymore. She's fighting for her identity.
So, what's the truth?
Honestly? It depends on who you ask.
If you're going strictly by biology, and those documents are accurate, then yes — she might have XY chromosomes. But gender is more than just chromosomes. It's how you live, how you see yourself, and how society treats you. And by all those standards, Khelif is a woman.
But sports don't always handle that complexity well.
They want clear lines, clear rules. The problem is — people aren't always so clear-cut.
Some say that allowing someone with male chromosomes to compete in women's boxing is unfair, that it creates a physical advantage. Others argue that identity and lived experience matter just as much, if not more, and that we need more inclusive rules that reflect today's understanding of gender.
Imane Khelif's story isn't just about one woman in the ring.
It's about the entire system of how we define gender in sports — and who gets to draw those lines.
She's forced the world to reckon with tough questions. What does 'fair' even mean in a sport like boxing? Who gets to decide which bodies are allowed where? And is it possible to make space for both fairness and inclusion?
There's no easy answer. But there's one thing we can say for sure: Khelif isn't just fighting opponents anymore.
She's fighting a system, a culture, and a moment in time that still doesn't quite know how to deal with athletes like her.
So, is Imane Khelif male or female?
Biologically, she might have traits typically associated with males. But socially, legally, and personally — she's a woman. And she's made that clear over and over again.
In the world of boxing, where everything comes down to weight classes, timing, and strength, gender isn't supposed to be this complicated. But Khelif's story proves that it is. And until sports find a better way to handle that complexity, stories like hers will keep grabbing headlines — and maybe, changing minds.
Regardless of where you stand, one thing's for sure: Imane Khelif is a fighter, through and through. And her biggest fight might just be outside the ring.