Are There Really Men Competing At The Women’s Boxing At The Olympics?

There's a massive anti-trans controversy rocking the Olympics. Here's what's going on.

After days of people doubting her gender, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has hit back at detractors to say she is female.

25-year-old Khelif broke down in tears after she won the quarterfinals of the women’s 66kg division, which now guarantees she will win a medal at the Paris Olympics.

The match on Saturday Aug. 4 came after days of people doubting Khelif’s gender and abusing her online.

People, including "Harry Potter" author J.K Rowling, who is outspoken about being anti-trans, accused Khelif of being a man competing in women’s boxing.

During a previous match between Khelif and Angela Carini of Italy, Rowling tweeted that Khelif was a man who was “enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head”.

In the lead-up to the quarterfinals match, Khelif’s Hungarian opponent Anna Luca Hamori also shared a post on social media depicting Khelif as a male beast.

These types of statements are suggesting that Khelif is transgender, which is not true.

LGBTQ rights groups say misidentifying Khelif's gender perpetuates harmful stereotypes and discrimination against trans people.

Another woman boxer from Taiwan, Lin Yu-ting, is also facing intense harassment about her gender, as the International Boxing Association disqualified both her and Khelif for failing gender eligibility tests in 2023.

The International Boxing Association has not been recognized by the International Olympic Committee – or IOC – since 2019 due to concerns about corruption, the integrity of its competitions and political influence, as its president has known ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The IOC has come out in support of Khelif and Lin, saying that the Boxing Association's decision was "sudden, arbitrary and taken without any proper procedure."

The IOC’s president also condemned the “hate speech” directed at the two athletes, saying “there was never any doubt" about them being women.

Since the controversy began, many people are throwing their support behind Khelif and Lin, sharing childhood photos and stories of the two.

After winning her quarterfinals match, Khelif told journalists that she wanted to tell the entire world that she is a female and she will remain a female.

Steph Lu, Igra Abdi and Cherry Mohamed contributed to additional reporting.

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