'Imane Khelif is a man - I have proof and I'm not the only one' claims former opponent

A former boxing rival of Olympic champ Imane Khelif has controversially claimed that the Algerian is a "man" and insinuated that Khelif has been "biologically altered. " Khelif's rise to Olympic glory in Paris has been marred by contentious debates and criticism regarding her eligibility to compete.

The Algerian athlete, along with Lin Yu-ting from Chinese Taipei, clinched the gold medal despite being previously expelled from the World Championships in 2023 by the International Boxing Association (IBA) after failing a gender verification test. The test revealed XY chromosomes in both athletes' samples, leading to their disqualification.

Nevertheless, they were permitted to participate in the Paris Olympics because the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which temporarily took over boxing governance for the Games, applies more relaxed rules than the IBA. Post Khelif's victory, Joana Nwamerue, a Bulgarian-Nigerian boxer with a 6-0 professional record who has sparred with Khelif, has openly called Khelif a "man," expressing her belief during their sparring sessions in February that Khelif possesses "male power and male techniques."

In an interview with Reduxx, Nwamerue stated: "[Khelif] has some kind of internal issues. But it is a man. I will stay [by] my words until he/she does a test to prove to the world that he/she is a woman. But we all know that won't happen," reports the Mirror US . She further commented: "I think we played 3-4 sparring sessions. I have a record of everything. I can confirm that this is a man to me. Male power. Men's techniques, everything."

Nwamerue disclosed that she was informed that Khelif's unique conditions living in the Algerian mountains may have "biologically altered" her, adding: "[Khelif's] teammates came to me and told me 'Imane is not a man. She is a woman and just lives high in the mountains with her relatives and parents and so there may be a change in her testosterone or chromosomes and the like."

Khelif took a firm stand against her detractors after winning gold at the Games, stating on Friday: "For eight years, this has been my dream, and I'm now the Olympic champion and gold medalist."

She continued, stressing the added significance of her victory, "That also gives my success a special taste because of those attacks. We are in the Olympics to perform as athletes, and I hope that we will not see any similar attacks in future Olympics. I am fully qualified to take part in this competition. I'm a woman like any other woman. I was born as a woman, I live as a woman, and I am qualified."

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Retaliating against how she was treated in Paris, Khelif, backed by her lawyer Nabil Boudi, put out a statement declaring: "Having just won a gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, boxer Imane Khelif has decided to lead a new fight: that of justice, dignity and honor. Ms. Khelif contacted the firm, which filed a complaint yesterday for acts of aggravated cyber harassment with the anti-online hatred center of the Paris public prosecutor's office.

"The criminal investigation will determine who initiated this misogynistic, racist, and sexist campaign but will also have to focus on those who fueled this digital lynching. The unfair harassment suffered by the champion will remain the biggest stain of these Olympic Games."

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