Leaked medical documents allegedly revealing that Olympic boxer Imane Khelif possesses XY chromosomes have been published, prompting demands for her Paris 2024 gold medal to be revoked.
The documents, released by American journalist Alan Abrahamson through 3 Wire Sports, appear to show test results from 2023 indicating male chromosomes.
The medical report, which carries the letterhead of Dr Lal PathLabs in New Delhi, summarises findings on Khelif as "abnormal", stating: "Chromosome analysis reveals male karyotype."
A karyotype represents an individual's complete chromosome set, which the International Boxing Association (IBA) has reported as XY in Khelif's case - the male pattern. The 26-year-old boxer secured gold in the women's 66kg category at the Paris Olympics.
PA | Imane Khelif sparked a gender row at the OlympicsDespite the controversy, legal experts suggest that stripping Khelif of her Olympic gold medal remains improbable due to the specific eligibility criteria employed during the Paris Games.
Doraine Lambelet Coleman, Thomas L. Perkins Distinguished Professor of Laws at Duke Law School, told Newsweek: "The IOC would not revoke medals won by athletes who were eligible according to the rules it set for the boxing competition in Paris."
She explained that the International Olympic Committee's regulations for the Paris boxing competition differed significantly from those previously established by the IBA. "Unlike the eligibility rules set by the IBA and now World Boxing, those rules did not require competitors to be biologically female," Coleman stated.
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The IOC permitted Khelif's participation based on her female passport status rather than biological testing requirements.
The controversy stems from events at the 2023 World Championships in New Delhi, where the IBA banned Khelif after tests allegedly revealed DNA of a "male". The IOC, which had replaced the IBA as Olympic boxing's governing body, received warnings about these test results and faced pressure to exclude Khelif from the Paris competition.
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Reuters | Imane Khelif won a gold medal at Paris 2024However, the IOC permitted Khelif to compete based on her female passport status, disregarding the IBA's findings. During a heated press conference at the Paris Olympics, IOC spokesman Mark Adams dismissed the results that led to Khelif's ban as "ad hoc" and "not legitimate".
IOC president Thomas Bach went further, claiming the results were part of a Russian-led misinformation campaign. This followed the IBA's loss of IOC recognition amid disputes over ethics and financial management, with the organisation headed by Russia's Umar Kremlev.
The leaked documents published by Abrahamson appear to be test results from March 2023, conducted in New Delhi. The report bears the letterhead of Dr Lal PathLabs, an institution accredited by the American College of Pathologists and certified by the Swiss-based International Organisation for Standardisation.
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These credentials directly contradict the IOC's characterisation of the testing procedures. The documents indicate that chromosome analysis was performed on Khelif, with results showing what the IBA has described as XY chromosomes - the typical male chromosomal pattern.
The publication of these alleged test results represents the first time such documentation has been made public since the gender eligibility controversy erupted. The timing coincides with ongoing debates about biological sex testing in women's sport.
Khelif has consistently denied being biologically male and has taken legal action, naming JK Rowling and Elon Musk in a cyberbullying lawsuit. In February, she broke her silence, writing: "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."
REUTERS | Imane Khelif is set to keep the Olympic Medal won in Paris despite the document
Despite vowing to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Khelif faces new obstacles. World Boxing, provisionally approved to oversee Olympic boxing in LA, has declared her ineligible for future women's events without chromosome testing.
The governing body now requires all athletes over 18 to undergo polymerase chain reaction (PCR) genetic testing to determine sex through mouth swabs, saliva or blood samples.