Fact Check: Boxer Imane Khelif's Father Shares Document That Says Algerian Olympian Was Born Female

On Aug. 3, 2024, the news agency Reuters reported that Amar Khelif, the father of Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, had shown one of its reporters an "official-looking document" purportedly proving that his daughter was born female.

Khelif's gender identity became a subject of debate following her unusual victory in an Aug. 1, 2024, bout of the women's welterweight boxing competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics, which ended in less than a minute when her opponent pulled out of the fight.

Following the incident, a number of anti-trans activists made allegations that the fight had been unfair because Khelif was transgender. These allegations were false, as Snopes has covered .

As we explained in that previous article, Khelif was disqualified from the 2023 International Boxing Association World Championships in New Delhi after a genetic test — the details of which the IBA has described as "confidential" — allegedly found results consistent with the male sex.

Regardless of the nature of the 2023 IBA test, the International Olympic Committee determined Khelif eligible to compete as a woman in the 2024 Olympics, as an IOC representative told The Associated Press on Aug. 2, 2024. There is no evidence that Khelif has ever identified as male or transgender.

The document in question appears in video footage credited to Reuters and shared on YouTube by Philippines-based ABS-CBN News, also on Aug. 3, 2024. The document, a booklet with both printed and handwritten text in Arabic, can be seen starting around the 2:25 timestamp in the video below:

In the Reuters interview, Amar Khelif said, "This is our family official document, May 2, 1999, Imane Khelif, female. It is written here you can read it, this document doesn't lie."

Snopes has not independently authenticated the existence or the contents of the document shown in the video. We have reached out to Abdelaziz Boumzar, one of the journalists who reported the Reuters story, to ask if he's able to share any additional details about the document, and will update this story if he responds.

Sources:

"Algeria Boxer Imane Khelif Wins First Olympic Fight When Opponent Angela Carini Quits." AP News, 1 Aug. 2024, https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2024-boxing-gender-4b6eb881cce9c34484d30c68ad979127 .

Boumzar, Abdelaziz, and Thawab Herzallah. "Father of Algerian Boxer Khelif Says He Is Honoured by His Daughter." Reuters, 3 Aug. 2024. www.reuters.com, https://www.reuters.com/sports/olympics/father-algerian-boxer-khelif-says-he-is-honoured-by-his-daughter-2024-08-03/ .

Kasprak, Alex. "Olympic Boxer Imane Khelif Is Not a Trans Athlete." Snopes, 2 Aug. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//news/2024/08/02/imane-khelif-olympics-boxing/ .

"Statement Made by the International Boxing Association Regarding Athletes Disqualifications in World Boxing Championships 2023." IBA, 31 July 2024, https://www.iba.sport/news/statement-made-by-the-international-boxing-association-regarding-athletes-disqualifications-in-world-boxing-championships-2023 .

"Who Is Italian Boxer Angela Carini and Why Did She Quit Her Fight against Imane Khelif?" AP News, 2 Aug. 2024, https://apnews.com/article/angela-carini-imane-khelif-boxing-63e9dbaa30f1e29196d4162c72c2babf.