The Algerian athlete, Olympic champion in Paris, has been at the center of accusations and controversies for months. And she defends herself: “I took treatment to lower my testosterone level to zero. But don’t distort the truth, I was raised as a girl”
Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif has revealed she has undergone hormone therapy to lower her testosterone levels ahead of the 2024 Olympics, while reiterating that she is not “trans”. “I have female hormones. And people don’t know it, but I have been undergoing hormone therapy to lower my testosterone levels for competitions,” said the 26-year-old Algerian – who also faced the Italian Angela Carini in Paris – in an interview with L’Equipe.
the truth of khelif
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Confirming that he possesses the SRY gene, located on the Y chromosome, which indicates masculinity. Khelif explained that she was “surrounded by doctors, a professor is monitoring me (…) For the qualifying tournament for the Paris Games, which took place in Dakar, I lowered my testosterone level to zero. And then I won the gold medal (in the 66 kg category, also beating the Italian Carini, ed.)”, recalled the boxer who later found herself at the center of a disinformation campaign that painted her as a “man who fights against women”. Just like Taiwanese Lin Yu-ting, also a gold medalist in the -57kg category at the Paris Games, Khelif has been accused of being a transgender athlete by several prominent figures, including Donald Trump, Elon Musk and British writer JK Rowling. “I respect everyone, and I respect Trump. Because he is the President of the United States. But he cannot distort the truth. I am not trans, I am a girl. I was raised as a girl, the people of my village have always known me as a girl”, insisted Imane Khelif. The boxer, whose goal is to participate in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, knows she will have to agree to a genetic test imposed by World Boxing, an organization recognized by the IOC, and has declared she is ready. “For the next Games, if I have to undergo a test, I will do it. I have no problem. I have already taken this test. I contacted World Boxing, sent them my medical records, my hormone tests, everything. But I have not received any response. I don’t hide anything, I don’t refuse tests,” he reiterated.
