Latest news with #genderdebate
The Sun
2 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
Imane Khelif breaks silence after leaked medical report ‘proves Olympic gender-row boxer is a biological male'
IMANE KHELIF has issued a response after a leaked medical report claimed the gold medal-winning Olympian was a "biological male". Khelif, 26, won Algeria's first-ever female gold medal in boxing during the Paris Games in 2024. 2 However, during Khelif's run to the final, she was embroiled in a bitter gender row after being banned from International Boxing Association competition in 2023. The IBA banned Khelif after tests taken in New Delhi allegedly produced the DNA of a 'male'. The IOC - who replaced the IBA as the Olympic's boxing governing body - were warned about the tests and urged to remove Khelif from the competition. But Khelif was allowed to box in Paris because of her female passport status. Now, the alleged sex-test results from the 2023 World Championships have been published for the first time by 3 Wire Sports, and suggest the boxer is biologically male. American journalist Alan Abrahamson produced the result of a test said to have been carried out on the boxer in New Delhi in March 2023 - which triggered the boxer's disqualification. The document published summarises the findings on Khelif as 'abnormal', stating: 'Chromosome analysis reveals male karyotype." A karyotype refers to an individual's complete set of chromosomes, which in Khelif's case has been reported by (IBA) as being XY, the male pattern. Khelif refused to respond directly to the claims in a social media post on Monday, instead focusing on her work as a Unicef ambassador - a role she has held since January 2024. The post featured a photo of Khelif wearing a blue polo bearing the organisation's logo as she made a heart symbol with her hands to celebrate the "Global Day of Parents". Imane Khelif wins Olympic gold in women's welterweight final after huge gender row that has grabbed worldwide attention She paid tribute to her own parents in the caption, saying: "Today, I became a champion, but it all started long ago. When my parents believed in me, even when the dream felt too big. "When they supported me, listened to me, and stood by me. Being a parent isn't easy. There's no manual. But the love, patience, and trust you give your child can change everything. "On this #GlobalDayOfParents, I just want to say thank you. Thank you to every parent who chooses, every single day, to be there for their children. "Together with @unicefalgerie, I'm celebrating these everyday heroes. Because when parents are supported, children can dream and succeed." The alleged test results disputing Khelif's gender carry the letterhead of Dr Lal PathLabs in New Delhi, accredited by the American College of Pathologists and certified by the Swiss-based International Organisation for Standardisation. This directly challenges what IOC spokesman Mark Adams said in a tense news conference at the Paris Olympics. He described the results that saw Khelif banned as 'ad hoc' and 'not legitimate'. IOC president Thomas Bach even claimed that the results are the product of a Russian-led misinformation campaign. It followed after the IBA - headed by Russia's Umar Kremlev - had been stripped of IOC recognition in a row over ethics and financial management. Khelif has always denied being a biological male and even named JK Rowling and Elon Musk in a cyberbullying lawsuit. And the 26-year-old has vowed to fight on, even eyeing another gold at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. But World Boxing has ruled that Khelif is ineligible to enter future events as a woman without first submitting to the same chromosome testing that has already triggered the boxer's disqualification at global level. The governing body - provisionally approved to run Olympic boxing in LA - announced that all athletes in its competitions over 18 years old must undergo a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) genetic test to determine their sex. The test detects chromosomal material through a mouth swab, saliva or blood. Khelif has failed to provide any evidence of having female chromosomes in the nine months since the gender scandal erupted. In February, Khelif spoke out in her defence and wrote: 'For two years, I have taken the high road while my name and image have been used, unauthorised, to further personal and political agendas through the spreading and dissemination of baseless lies and misinformation. But silence is no longer an option. 'The IBA, an organisation that I am no longer associated with and which is no longer recognised by the IOC, have again made baseless accusations that are false and offensive, using them to further their agenda... 'My team is carefully reviewing the situation and will take all necessary legal steps to ensure that my rights and the principles of fair competition are upheld." An IOC spokesperson told Sun Sport: "The IOC has always made it clear that eligibility criteria are the responsibility of the respective International Federation. "The factors that matter to sports performance are unique to each sport, discipline, and/or event. "We await the full details how sex testing will be implemented in a safe, fair and legally enforceable way."
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Imane Khelif breaks silence amid claims leaked medical report 'proves boxer is biological male'
Controversial Olympic champion Imane Khelif shared a social media post celebrating 'heroes' Monday after a leaked medical report shockingly suggested the boxer is a biological male. Khelif, who claimed gold for Algeria at the Paris Games last summer, was thrust into the center of a bitter storm once again this week when it emerged that a 2023 medical test allegedly indicated she carried male chromosomes. The document, seen by 3 Wire Sports via Telegraph Sport, states: 'Chromosome analysis reveals male karyotype.' The reported leak came less than two days after World Boxing had ruled the boxer would need to undergo sex screening to be eligible for any future appearances in female events. Amid the reignited gender row, Khelif broke cover in an Instagram post shared on Monday. However, the sporting star refused to acknowledge the furor surrounding the alleged chromosome analysis. The post, celebrating Unicef 's 'Global Day of Parents,' featured a photo of Khelif in a blue polo bearing the organization's logo as she formed a heart with her hands. In the lengthy caption, she paid tribute to her own parents for supporting and standing by her. 'Today, I became a champion, but it all started long ago,' she began. 'When my parents believed in me, even when the dream felt too big. When they supported me, listened to me, and stood by me. 'Being a parent isn't easy. There's no manual. But the love, patience, and trust you give your child can change everything. 'On this #GlobalDayOfParents, I just want to say thank you. Thank you to every parent who chooses, every single day, to be there for their children. 'Together with @unicefalgerie, I'm celebrating these everyday heroes. Because when parents are supported, children can dream and succeed.' Khelif, along with Taiwan 's Lin Yu-ting, had been disqualified from the 2023 World Championships run by the International Boxing Association (IBA), the former governing body for the sport. The IBA had claimed Khelif and Lin had failed gender eligibility tests, leading to their disqualification from the event. Amid a debate over whether Lin and Khelif should be allowed to compete at the Olympics last summer, the two fighters would go on to win gold in the featherweight and welterweight events respectively. The alleged medical test was reportedly carried out on March 17, 2023 - the same year that Khelif was disqualified by the IBA - according to the date listed on the leaked results. The document claims to have come from Dr Lal PathLabs in New Delhi, a laboratory which is accredited by the American College of Pathologists and certified by the International Organisation for Standardisation. The report was initially published by the journalist Alan Abrahamson, who first brought reports of Khelif's alleged failed gender eligibility test to public attention at the Paris Games. Mail Sport has contacted Khelif's representatives for comment. World Boxing, who are now the governing body for the sport, last week announced the introduction of mandatory sex testing for male and female boxers who want to take part in competitions. The governing body said the testing will be part of a new policy on 'Sex, Age and Weight', which it claims will a safe and competitive playing field. 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. In November, another 'leaked' report published in German outlet Bild claimed that she was a 'biological male'. It remains unclear whether the report was legitimate, with Algerian Olympic Committee calling out 'unsubstantiated allegations (which aimed) to tarnish the image of an athlete who has brought honor to our nation on the international stage.' The report was initially put together in 2023 via collaboration between French and Algerian expert endocrinologists working at the Kremlin-Bicetre hospital in Paris, and the Mohamed Lamine Debaghine hospital in Algiers. The unverified report alleges that Khelif has male characteristics. But Jacques Young, an endocrinologist at Bicetre Hospital in Paris who reportedly co-authored the document, has told DW in Germany that he feels his name is being used to spread false information. Young also hinted he had been used to disseminate an anti-trans agenda. 'I think your statement perfectly reflects reality,' when he was asked whether his name was being used for those purposes.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
JK Rowling leads calls to take away Imane Khelif's Olympic gold medal - after leaked medical report 'proves she is a biological male'
JK Rowling has called the alleged results showing that Olympic champion Imane Khelif is a biological male 'a win for women'. The results of a medical test on Khelif at the 2023 World Championships have come less than two days after World Boxing ruled that Khelif would need to undergo sex screening to be eligible for any future appearances in female events. Khelif won a women's boxing gold medal representing Algeria boxing at the Paris Games. Khelif was deemed eligible to compete in France despite World Boxing having known about the 2023 more than a year's previous knowledge about the test, 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. Rowling, who has weighed in heavy on the debate in the past, has taken to social media to give her view on the news. JK Rowling, who has been vocal on Khelif's situation in the past, has called it a 'win for women' 'It's a win for women because they won't be battered to death in the ring by men,' wrote the Harry Potter series author. 'If you had any idea what physical tests women go through routinely in their lives you'd know a cheek swab is no bigger deal than flossing your teeth. Any more moronic questions, wing them over.' Broadcaster Piers Morgan was among the first to respond to reports of the test, writing on social media site X: 'The biology-denying woke brigade abused and shamed me for saying it was outrageous and dangerous for Khelif to be beating up women at the Olympics. 'I'm ready for their apology, but won't hold my breath.' Former Olympian Sharron Davies was similarly convinced by the report, writing: 'When did we stop believing in our eyes & gut! Oh yeah when we decided women's sport didn't matter…' Conservative activist Riley Gaines also weighed in, referring to Khelif with male pronouns and saying: 'To all the people that insisted Imane Khelif was a woman because his passport said so, 'You were wrong. We were right. Sincerely, People with functioning eyes and a shred of honesty.' The results reportedly have a date of being collected of 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'. It's a win for women because they won't be battered to death in the ring by men. If you had any idea what physical tests women go through routinely in their lives you'd know a cheek swab is no bigger deal than flossing your teeth. Any more moronic questions, wing them over. — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 2, 2025 The document claims to have come from Dr Lal PathLabs in New Delhi, a laboratory which is accredited by the American College of Pathologists and certified by the International Organisation for Standardisation. The report was initially published by the journalist Alan Abrahamson, who first brought reports of Khelif's alleged failed gender eligibility test to public attention at the Paris Games. Mail Sport has contacted Khelif's representatives for comment. 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 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. 'Imane Khelif may not participate in the female category at the Eindhoven Box Cup, 5-10 June 2025 and any World Boxing event until Imane Khelif undergoes genetic sex screening in accordance with World Boxing's rules and testing procedures,' the letter read. 'In accordance with the World Boxing Statutes, amendments to the Competition Rules are typically made by Congress. However, under special or emergency circumstances, the World Boxing Executive Board holds the authority to make immediate amendments when a rule is deemed no longer functional or when evolving conditions necessitate a change. 'In May 2025, the Executive Board exercised this authority and adopted new eligibility criteria for participation in sex-specific boxing categories. These new eligibility rules were developed with the express purpose of safeguarding athletes in combat sports, particularly given the physical risks associated with Olympic-style boxing. 'Please be advised that, per World Boxing policy, '…in the event the athlete's sex certification is challenged by the athlete's federation or by World Boxing, the athlete shall be ineligible to compete until the dispute is resolved…' Khelif was not the only controversial boxer in Paris, as Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting also won a gold medal in women's boxing despite having been banned by the IBA in 2023. Morgan previously weighed in on Khelif's alleged gender ineligibility in November, when a 'leaked' report published in German outlet Bild claimed that she was a 'biological male'. He posted to his 8.8m followers at the time: 'Confirmation of what some of us said at the time: Khelif is a biological man. The gold medal should now be stripped and awarded to the best actual woman.' It remains unclear whether the report was legitimate, with Algerian Olympic Committee calling out 'unsubstantiated allegations (which aimed) to tarnish the image of an athlete who has brought honor to our nation on the international stage.' Piers Morgan, Sharron Davies, and Riley Gaines were all quick to weigh in on the alleged results The report was initially put together in 2023 via collaboration between French and Algerian expert endocrinologists working at the Kremlin-Bicetre hospital in Paris, and the Mohamed Lamine Debaghine hospital in Algiers. The unverified report alleges that Khelif has male characteristics. But Jacques Young, an endocrinologist at Bicetre Hospital in Paris who reportedly co-authored the document, has told DW in Germany that he feels his name is being used to spread false information. Young also hinted he had been used to disseminate an anti-trans agenda. 'I think your statement perfectly reflects reality,' when he was asked whether his name was being used for those purposes.
Daily Mail
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Feminist writer mocked for her bizarre definition of 'woman' on Piers Morgan's show
Controversial Australian feminist writer Clementine Ford has found herself mired in another culture war, this time over her definition of what it means to be a woman. Asked 'what is a woman?', by TV host Piers Morgan, Ford at first refused to offer an answer. 'Piers, I'm not going down the path of debating trans women with you,' she said. 'Trans women are women,' she added, before Morgan clarified: 'I didn't mention trans women, I asked you what a woman is.' Eventually, Ford trotted out a uniquely open-ended definition when she claimed: 'A woman is someone who has at least at one point in her life felt scared of a man.' Ford's answer left Morgan's debate panel stunned. 'Sorry?' a bemused Morgan eventually said. 'But you guys never want to talk about that,' Ford continued before another panellist Andrew Wilson took to the offensive and said: 'That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard'. 'So any man who's ever felt afraid of another man is a woman? What are you talking about?' Ford, a former columnist for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, clarified she had been misunderstood. 'That's not what I'm saying', she said. Ford soon fired back when she asked Morgan why he was 'so obsessed with this definition of what a woman is'. Morgan said: 'I have a 13-year-old daughter, I have seven nieces... and some of them are very good at sport... the idea that they would one day have their dream of potentially an Olympic place or a team [Great Britain] place or whatever it may be... taken from them by a biological male, I think is completely outrageous.' 'And by the way, so does most of the world now which is why there has been a reversing, screeching U-turn on this particular subject,' he said. 'But I come back to my question to you, your inability to say what a woman is and yet here you are lecturing women on how they should behave as women is completely perverse.' 'I think that reducing women specifically to your biological decider of what you think women is,' Ford said Morgan then raised the issue of chromosomal difference, to which Ford replied: 'I'm sure I'm not the first person to tell you about intersex people.' Before she could finish her question, Wilson claimed intersex people - individuals whose sexual characteristics do not fit the typical male-female markers - do not comprise a third sex. 'I didn't say intersex was a third sex but intersex people exist and intersex people can have a mixture of chromosomes,' Ford said. It was not long before the conversation turned to Ford's controversial social media posts, including one since-disavowed tweet from 2020 in which she wrote Covid-19 was 'not killing men fast enough'. Ford described the tweet as 'misguided' and claimed she had since apologised for it. Prompted by Morgan, Ford then admitted to having previously tweeted: 'All men must die'. She claimed it had been written 'as a joke'. 'I've also said that men should be fired into the sun,' she said before she repeated she had apologised for the 'glib' remarks she would 'never say again now'. Ford previously challenged Morgan's repeated use of the incendiary 'what is a woman' question in a 2023 blog post titled: 'What Is A Woman? The Insidious Misoginy of Piers Morgan'. 'Like all of the bigots currently jumping on the transphobic shuttle to Ding Dong station, Morgan wants you to believe this is about fairness and equality,' she wrote. 'Specifically, fairness and equality in women's sports. You know, that highly regarded field of 'women's sports' that conservatives have traditionally always championed, and have certainly never, ever suggested shouldn't receive equal pay because 'women's sport is boring and they're not as good as the men".' In the blog post, Ford hinted at the answer she went on to deliver on Saturday when she said: 'Preview: my answer has nothing to do with biology or bodies, but DOES force them to address the danger ALL women face at the hands of men.' Ford rose to prominence with the publication of her 2016 book 'Fight Like a Girl' published by Allen & Unwin. Following the publication of her second book: 'Boys Will Be Boys: Power, Patriarchy and Toxic Masculinity' in 2018, she resigned from the Australian mastheads claiming she had faced internal backlash after calling then Prime Minister Scott Morrison a 'f***-ing disgrace'.
