J.K. Rowling is tweeting about the Olympics, so you know what that means: There’s transphobia afoot. This time, it’s centered around a cisgender athlete, Imane Khelif, a female boxer from Algeria who was barred from the 2023 world championships by the International Boxing Association after a “gender test,†the contents of which have not been revealed. The International Olympic Committee confirms that “all athletes participating in the boxing tournament of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 comply with the competition’s eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations set by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit.â€
Khelif stepped into the ring against Italian boxer Angela Carini on August 1. The match was over within 46 seconds with Carini forfeiting and refusing to shake her opponent’s hand. Now, Khelif’s presence at the Games has blown up into a political talking point via all the usual suspects on Twitter (and that one guy on Truth Social). Below, all the details, from the facts to the trolls to the official Olympic Committee response to Carini’s apology.
How did we get here?
At the 2023 World Boxing Championships, the IBA banned both Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu‑ting for allegedly failing a biochemical test. But the IOC didn’t care, having already banned the IBA in 2023 after a 2019 suspension for failure to complete reforms on governance, finance, and ethical issues. While there was talk about whether Khelif and Lin should be at the Olympics prior to August 1, the controversy surrounding Khelif erupted after her opponent Carini bowed out of their fight almost immediately. “I felt a severe pain in my nose, and with the maturity of a boxer, I said ‘enough’ because I didn’t want to, I didn’t want to, I couldn’t finish the match,†Carini said, per the Associated Press. Khelif will continue to the quarterfinals, facing Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori on August 3.
What are trolls saying?
As expected, the response to Khelif online from notable TERFs and conservatives has been outsize. Names including J.K. Rowling, Logan Paul, J.D. Vance, and former president Donald Trump have all spoken up. “I WILL KEEP MEN OUT OF WOMEN’S SPORTS!†Trump wrote on his social-media app, Truth Social.
What is the Olympic Committee’s stance?
On August 3, the IOC made their stance explicitly clear during their briefing: they would not tolerate any slandering of their athletes. “Let’s be very clear, here, we are talking about women’s boxing and we have two boxers who were born as women who have been raised as women who have passports as women and who have competed for many years as women. And this is the clear definition of a woman,†said president of the committee, Thomas Bach. “But we will not take part in a sometimes-politically motivated cultural war.â€
Before that, the IOC and the Boxing Unit put out a joint statement on August 1 refuting any issue with eligibility. “These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA,†they wrote. “Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process.†The letter specifically called out the IBA for changing its eligibility requirements in the middle of competition and noted that all changes “should be based on scientific evidence.â€
The letter ended with a threat: “The IOC has made it clear that it needs National Boxing Federations to reach a consensus around a new International Federation in order for boxing to be included on the sports programme of the Olympic Games LA28.†Looks like a KO for the IBA.
Has Carini apologized?
Yes. “All this controversy makes me sad,†Carini told the Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport on August 2, per a translation by the Associated Press. “I’m sorry for my opponent, too. … If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision.†She added that skipping the post-match handshake with her opponent “wasn’t something she intended to do.â€
“I want to apologize to her and everyone else,†the boxer said. “I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke. I don’t have anything against Khelif. Actually, if I were to meet her again I would embrace her.â€
Who is Khelif fighting next?
On Saturday, she’ll be fighting Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori, who has stirred the transphobic pot even more by posting what looks like to be an AI-generated image of a blonde boxer about the fight a beast. She also followed up comments on the upcoming fight, adding more fuel to the fire: “If she or he is a man, it will be a bigger victory for me if I win.â€