Algerian boxer Imane Khelif is once again in the news. Her ‘leaked’ medical report, suggesting the presence of ambiguous genitalia and secondary male characteristics has made many suggest that the pugilist is indeed a ‘biological male’. A report by French journalist Djaffar Ait Aoudia stressed that Imane Khelif had internal testicles and an XY chromosome makeup, which hint towards a 5-alpha reductase deficiency. As the report became public, IBA President Umar Kremlev demanded apology from International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach for allowing a ‘man’ to compete against women in the Paris Olympic Games.
The international boxing body has been fighting a war against the IOC over Imane Khelif and boxers of similar conditions. While the IBA had banned Khelif and Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yu-ting from participating in their events, the IOC allowed them to compete in the Olympic Games.
A leaked medical report, published in Le Correspondent, seems to have backed the findings that IBA had shared on Khelif and Yu-ting, with a war of wards between the boxing body’s chief and Bach getting triggered again.
Taking a fresh swipe at Bach after the leaked medical report surfaced, IBA chief Umar Kremlev has asked his IOC counterpart to “kneel and apologise”.
“Everyone already knows the news. The International Olympic Committee has violated all sports rules by putting a man against a woman. Tests have again confirmed that Imane Khelif is indeed a man. Today, as the President of the International Boxing Association, which upholds gender equality and protects both women’s and men’s boxing, I demand that Thomas Bach and his team both verbally and in writing, apologise to the global boxing community.
“Thomas Bach himself bears direct responsibility for this, as he personally lobbied for this to happen – for men to compete against women. On behalf of all boxers in the world, I demand them to kneel and apologise to the boxing community and to those girls who have been beaten and abused. Thomas Bach, I am now waiting, as is everyone in IBA, for your official apology,” Kremlev said.
Since the medical report became public on social media, several sporting and non-sporting celebrities have taken to the internet and shared their views on the matter, most them aligning in favour of IBA.
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