In a video posted on Instagram, Olympic champion Imane Khelif appeared in a completely new look. She threw a punch at the camera, before the screen cut to an image of her wearing a feminine pink outfit, along with sharp makeup.
She also proudly showed off her gold medal and smiled brightly at the camera in the short clip.
Khelif’s participation in the women’s boxing event at the Olympics has been a hot topic of discussion throughout the Games, especially after Italian boxer Angela Carini withdrew after just 46 seconds of their match.
She, along with Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, was disqualified from the 2023 World Championships by the International Boxing Federation (IBA) after reportedly failing a gender eligibility test.
However, the Algerian boxer overcame all the noise to win a gold medal for his country at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Khelif even defended her participation, saying: “I am absolutely qualified to compete in this competition. I am a woman like any other woman. I was born a woman. I have lived as a woman. I have competed as a woman, there is no doubt about that.”
However, she has still faced criticism from many famous figures around the world, including CEO of X and Tesla, Elon Musk, and author of the Harry Potter series, JK Rowling, both of whom have been mentioned by the 25-year-old boxer in a lawsuit.
Former US President Donald Trump also called Khelif “a man,” and she admitted that she was psychologically affected by the rumors.
Khelif is not transgender and was born female, but has claimed she has male XY chromosomes after taking a test last year under the supervision of the IBA, which has refused to answer questions about how the process works.
“Right after that, there was a lot of noise from politicians, athletes, stars, artists – Elon Musk and Donald Trump, and that hurt me so much, I can’t describe the fear I felt,” Khelif said.
As the debate surrounding the two boxers’ eligibility for the Olympics continues, the IBA held a press conference to address the controversy. However, IBA president Umar Kremlev has yet to provide any clear explanations.
“The tests showed they were male ,” he said. “We didn’t verify what they had between their legs. We don’t know if they were born that way, or if some change took place.”
The IBA claims both fighters were tested at their event in Istanbul in 2022, where they found adverse results, and this was repeated at the 2023 contest in New Delhi.
They also said two other fighters had been tested in Türkiye and cleared – but did not specify exactly what tests had been carried out.
