Latest news with #ImaneKhelif
Qatar Tribune
a day ago
- Sport
- Qatar Tribune
World Athletics introduces gene test for female category competitions
DPA Berlin World Athletics are introducing a gene test for athletes wishing to compete in the female category, the body said in a statement on Wednesday. The rule comes into force on September 1 and applies to all world ranking competitions, including the world championships in Tokyo, which start on September 13. All athletes wishing to compete in the female category will be required to undergo a once-in-a-lifetime test for the SRY gene, 'a reliable proxy for determining biological sex,' World Athletics said. 'This is to be conducted via a cheek swab or blood test, whichever is more convenient,' it added. World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said: 'The philosophy that we hold dear in World Athletics is the protection and the promotion of the integrity of women's sport. 'We are saying, at elite level, for you to compete in the female category, you have to be biologically female. It was always very clear to me and the World Athletics Council that gender cannot trump biology.' The gender eligibility debate gained a lot of attention after last summer's Olympic Games in Paris. Algeria's Imane Khelif and Taiwan boxer Lin Yu-ting won gold medals at the Games after being allowed to compete by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). However, a year before, they were disqualified from the world championships, which is run by the International Boxing Federation (IBA), after allegedly failing eligibility tests. The IOC, which has run the last two Olympic boxing tournaments because it has suspended IBA for various reasons, has said Khelif and Lin can compete because they born and identify as women.
Fox News
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Former ESPN host details firing after support for women against trans athletes: 'I thought this was sports'
Samantha Ponder has been quiet about her firing from ESPN, until now. Ponder had been vocal about transgender athletes in women's sports on social media back in 2023, which she said prompted a warning from ESPN executives. Ponder told Sage Steele on the latter's podcast that she shared Paula Scanlan's "story" about swimming against Lia Thomas, but then, "one of the top, top, top" bosses reached out to both former ESPN employees. "I didn't really think that was going to get much of a response, but it did," Ponder said. "They were uncomfortable with me talking about the trans women in women's sports issue and that they weren't going to allow me to misgender people." Ponder then said she got a "detailed email" from execs that described "anything I had ever tweeted or favorite that they thought was offensive and warned me." "I knew then I was kind of on the clock, if you will," Ponder said. Ponder had kept quiet until last summer, even opting not to make a video about Riley Gaines when an ESPN initiative was for its female employees to record a video about an inspirational woman. That is, until Imane Khelif caught her attention. Ponder had shared her Olympic opponent Angela Carini's quotes about having "enough" of Khelif in the ring. Khelif was previously barred from competing in another boxing tournament due to failed gender eligibility testing. "ENOUGH is what all of us should be saying!! Proud of this woman," Ponder posted at the time. "And the next week, got a text that said, 'Can you jump on a call with this person and this person in like an hour.' And one of the bosses is someone I never hear from, and I was like, 'This is it,'" Ponder said. Ponder said that she believes other factors led to her eventual firing, including potential cheaper alternatives, while Ponder said she wanted to have a work-life balance with her family. "But the timing of it almost certainly was," Ponder, who revealed that top ESPN execs actually agreed with her on the issue, said. Ponder then said getting let go was "one of the best thing that ever happened to me." "I was on that hamster wheel, and I was not going to jump off on my own. I needed to get kicked off. As much as the part of the reasoning behind it I think is legit crazy, I feel no bitterness or even frankly sadness. I had a great career. I was 20 years in that business. I met some awesome people, and there are still some really great people there. Never thought this would kind of be the way out, but I should have spoken up a long time before. I should have been a lot more courageous when I knew what was right," Ponder said. Ponder questioned why she was essentially barred from discussing the issue. "You are not allowed to speak about any other issue [other than sports]. But I thought this was sports," Ponder continued. "We're talking about female collegiate athletes, Olympic athletes, and it's wrong to shine a spotlight on that and give another voice, another opinion. I wasn't against debate or healthy discussion. I just didn't want anybody telling me, 'No, no, no, you can't talk about that.' I wasn't really giving my own opinions about it, as much as I was saying, 'Listen to these girls, they're in the locker rooms. Why do their opinions not deserve a platform when we're giving awards for Women's History Month to someone born male?' I couldn't understand it, I still don't understand it." ESPN declined to comment. Ponder is married to former NFL quarterback, Christian Ponder. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Daily Mail
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Ex-ESPN host Samantha Ponder finally breaks silence on bitter exit after being fired in wake of trans athlete criticism
Former ESPN host Samantha Ponder has finally lifted the lid on her controversial firing last year - admitting her protests against transgender athletes in women's sports certainly played a part. Ponder, 39, was surprisingly fired by the network just two years into her three-year, $3million contract back in August 2024, with her dismissal attributed to cost-cutting measures at the time. However, the Sunday NFL Countdown host's exit came just weeks after she spoke out against boxer Imane Khelif - who won a women's boxing gold medal at the 2024 Olympics in Paris despite claims she is a biological male. After sharing quotes from one of Khelif's opponents on why she quit midway through their bout, she wrote on X: 'ENOUGH is what all of us should be saying!! Proud of this woman'. During an appearance on fellow ex-ESPN star Sage Steele's podcast this week, Ponder said she was instantly worried about potential repercussions from network bosses. 'I knew when I sent that it wasn't going to go over well,' she told Steele. 'But to me that's abuse. You have a male in a boxing ring with a female, literally beating her. And we're just supposed to like [clap gesture] "Yay" in the name of inclusion?' The Sunday NFL Countdown host had criticized controversial Olympics boxer Imane Khelif Ponder, who spent 14 years with ESPN before her firing, had also made her feelings on trans athletes in women's sports clear on multiple occasions in the past. Back in June 2023, she retweeted a video post of former UPenn swimmer Paula Scanlan recalling her time as a teammate of trans athlete Lia Thomas and commented: 'No matter where you stand on this issue, it is well worth your time to listen to @PaulaYScanlan share her own story as someone who actually lived this while a female athlete at UPenn.' Two months earlier the then-ESPN personality also claimed on X that allowing trans athletes to compete in women's sports 'takes away so many opportunities for biological women and girls in sports.' And while she also puts her firing down to an infrequent work schedule, Ponder believes it is no coincidence that it came shortly after her latest trans protest regarding Khelif. 'I don't really think me losing my job was solely because of that, but the timing of it almost certainly was,' she explained to Steele. 'I was told after the fact privately that most people at the top of the company did agree with me on the issue, but there is a loud activist group at [ESPN owners] Disney and they were not happy with me. 'I can say all that and tell this part of the story and still tell you, Sage, it's one of the best things that ever happened to me.' has reached out to ESPN for comment. A year prior to Ponder's exit, Steele also called time on her 16-year stay at ESPN in order to express her opinions more freely. — Samantha Steele Ponder (@samponder) August 1, 2024 She sued the network in April of 2022 after claiming the company violated her First Amendment rights and Connecticut free-speech laws by suspending her over comments about former President Barack Obama and the COVID-19 vaccine. The two parties then went their separate ways in August 2023. Ponder alleges she was emailed by an ESPN executive who claimed the company was 'uncomfortable' with her discussing trans athletes in women's sports and 'they weren't going to allow me to misgender people.' When she asked for specifics, which immediately weren't provided, she later received a detailed email the following week noting how she had favorited a tweet from conservative voice Megyn Kelly which said men don't need gynecologists. 'In some ways, I thought it was funny how ridiculous it is,' Ponder said. 'Any woman who's been to the gynecologist can understand that, I think.' The email also allegedly contained further examples of actions ESPN deemed 'offensive' as they warned her: 'We're not doing this.' Almost a year on from her departure, Ponder now views it as a blessing in disguise. 'I was on that hamster wheel and I was not going to jump off on my own. I needed to get kicked off,' she admitted. 'As much as the part of the reasoning behind it is legit crazy, I feel no bitterness or even frankly sadness. I had a great career, I was 20 years in the business. I met some awesome people and there are still some really great people there. Never thought this would kind of be the way out but should have spoken up a long time before, I should have been a lot more courageous when I knew what was right.'
Daily Mail
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Trans boxer Imane Khelif should be stripped of Olympic gold medal, official says amid gender uproar
Transgender boxer Imane Khelif has been demanded to return her gold medal from the Paris Olympics by International Boxing Association (IBA) President Umar Kremlev. The IBA was recognized by the IOC to set the rules for Olympic boxing until 2023 as corruption concerns of being funded by Russian-back Gazprom rose to the surface. Now, World Boxing runs the sport for the Olympics, and has ruled that Khelif would need to undergo sex screening to be eligible for any future appearances in female events. Results from a leaked medical test on Khelif at the 2023 World Championships have suggested the boxer is a biological male, meaning a chance to defend her medal are likely off the table. Yet, that punishment is not strong enough for Kremlev, a Russian himself, who has ran the IBA since 2020. 'No, I am not satisfied,' he told The Sun. 'I truly believe that a medal should be truly deserved. We must protect athletes and give them the best conditions. I am here for truth, transparency and openness.' 'And now the truth has been revealed. There should be no unfair fights in boxing and the international federations should take care of their athletes. So the medal should be returned to the real owner, the real female owner.' Khelif won a women's boxing gold medal representing Algeria at the Paris Games last summer. Khelif was deemed eligible to compete in France despite World Boxing having known about the 2023 test more than a year earlier, with IOC president Thomas Bach previously questioning the test's legitimacy. 'Chromosome analysis reveals male karyotype,' the document, seen by 3 Wire Sports via Telegraph Sport, states. The results reportedly have a date of being collected on March 17, 2023 - the same year that Khelif was disqualified by the International Boxing Association (IBA), the former governing body for the sport for 'failing gender eligibility tests'. Details of how exactly she failed the test were unclear, only that the Algerian did not pass. Now, Kremlev believes Khelif's case is not the only huge problem for the IOC. 'Everything that is earned in the Olympics should be shared with the athletes. They should get prize money and medals made of the real precious metals they are supposed to represent,' he said to The Sun. 'Why, when the Olympics Games come around, do the IOC administrators stay in five-star hotels, eat in fancy restaurants and sometimes travel on private jets - while the athletes all share a little village?' 'It's crazy and it's bulls*** because it is the athletes - and their lifetime of dedication - that make the event and get the sponsorship and the should fly home on private jets, with real medals.' Khelief has previously stated that she planned to defend her gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics in three years' time. World Boxing does have some Olympic authority, as they have been announced to provisionally run testing for the Los Angeles Games, with any person over 18 required to undergo PCR testing to determine their sex. The governing body said the PCR test is a laboratory technique used to detect specific genetic material, with the SRY gene revealing the presence of the Y chromosome, which is an indicator of biological sex. The test can be a be conducted by nasal/mouth swab, saliva or blood. The governing body said the testing will be part of a new policy on 'Sex, Age and Weight', which it claims will ensure a safe and competitive playing field. World Boxing revealed the contents of a letter sent to the Algerian Boxing Federation, confirming Khelif is unable to compete in the female category at the Eindhoven Box Cup or any World Boxing event until she undergoes sex testing.
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
International Boxing Association Issued Demand To Imane Khelif
International Boxing Association Issued Demand To Imane Khelif originally appeared on The Spun. The International Boxing Association has issued a demand to gold medal-winning boxer Imane Khelif on Thursday morning. Advertisement Khelif, an Algerian boxer, won gold at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Khelif had previously been barred from competing in the 2023 World Championships, after failing a gender eligibility test. She passed all requirements for the Summer Olympics. The boxer, who says she is not transgender, did not pass a medical test administered by the IBA in 2023. Umar Kremlev, president of the IBA, has made it clear that he believes Khelif should not have been competing. Now, the IBA is demanding that Khelif return her gold medal. PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 09: Liu Yang of Team China looks on as Match Referee Jakov Peterson raises the hand of Imane Khelif of Team Algeria to announce the winner of the Boxing Women's 66kg Final match on day fourteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Roland Garros on August 09, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by)"I am not satisfied. A medal should be won on real merit," Kremlev said during an interview with SunSport. "We must protect athletes and ensure a level playing field for all. Now that the truth has come out, that medal should be returned to its rightful owner – a real woman." Advertisement The International Olympics Committee does not recognize the International Boxing Association, which has strong ties to Russia. Meanwhile, IOC president Kirsty Coventry has made it clear that no action against Khelif will be taken. "It was agreed by the members that the IOC should take a leading role in this," Coventry said recently, according to The Guardian. "And that we should be the ones to bring together the experts and the international federations and ensure that we find consensus. "We understand that there will be differences depending on the sports. But it was fully agreed that as members, as the IOC, we should make the effort to place emphasis on protection of the female category." Advertisement Khelif has maintained that she was a deserving gold medal winner at the 2024 Summer Olympics. She could be back competing at the 2028 Olympics in the United States. International Boxing Association Issued Demand To Imane Khelif first appeared on The Spun on Jul 3, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jul 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
