...
By Jasmine Laws
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Conservatives and 'Make America Great Again' commentators have reacted to Olympic boxer Imane Khelif's interview with the French sports publication L'Equipe, where Khelif admitted to having the SRY gene found in biological males.
Khelif, who has faced ongoing speculation about her gender, said: "We all have different genetics, different hormone levels. I'm not transgender. My difference is natural. This is who I am. I haven't done anything to change the way nature made me. That's why I'm not afraid."
The Algerian boxer also admitted to taking "hormone treatments to lower my testosterone levels for competitions."
Read More on News
SRY stands for sex-determining region Y protein, which is a gene that initiates typical male sexual development by triggering testes formation.
The Context
Allegations that Khelif is biologically male have been ongoing for some time, and the boxer has even been targeted by President Donald Trump. Trump has referred to Khelif as a "male boxer" repeatedly and is working to keep "men out of women's sports" with a 2025 executive order, claiming that transgender women's participation in women's sports is "demeaning, unfair, and dangerous."
Conservatives were quick to criticize the boxer when she won women's welterweight gold in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Khelif qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics, despite being disqualified from the International Boxing Association's (IBA) world championships in 2023 for failing gender eligibility tests. However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which cleared Khelif to compete in the 2024 Olympics, stripped the IBA of its status in June 2023, over concerns with how it was run.
After Khelif beat Italy's Angela Carini, who withdrew from the fight after receiving two punches from Khelif, and critics called the boxer's gender into question, IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said Khelif was "born female, was registered female, lived her life as a female, boxed as a female, has a female passport."
In 2025, a 3 Wire Sports report alleged it had obtained IBA's testing documents, and that it had allegedly seen Khelif had a male karyotype (the appearance of the complete set of chromosomes), although the report was unconfirmed and unverified.
...
What To Know
With the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics on the horizon, Khelif also said that "for the next Games, if I have to take a test, I will. I have no problem with that."
She also said: "I respect Donald Trump as he is the President of the United States, but the truth is the truth. I am not trans. I am a woman."
Responding to Khelif's claim, the Independent Council on Women's Sports (ICONS), an advocacy group empowering female athletes that has opposed transgender athletes participating in women's sports, said in a statement posted on X on Thursday: "Algerian Olympic women’s gold medalist Imane Khelif has now confirmed he is male."
The group added: "With men no longer eligible for Olympic women’s boxing under @RealWorldBoxing rules, Khelif reportedly plans to box professionally in Europe—though he inexplicably says he will still undergo sex screening for the LA 2028 Games in hopes of competing."
The group's co-founder, Kim Shasby Jones, also posted on X: "So he makes himself a weakened version of a man and calls that the peak of female boxing… If you still can’t see how insulting and degrading this is to women and to the basic ethics of sport, you have no business in sports and no respect for women."
Conservatives also tore into the boxer following the update. American radio and TV host Dana Loesch wrote in a post on X: "Wow had he not admitted it how would we know."
The conservative social media activist Robby Starbuck wrote: "Just a reminder that the legacy media stood up for this guy and pretended he was a girl as he bashed in the faces of women who worked their whole lives to get to the Olympics… And he took a gold medal that belonged to a woman. Oh and us conspiracy theorists were right… AGAIN."
Fox News host Riley Gaines also wrote: "Where are all the 'but she's a woman!' people now?"
"He's a man. He's always been a man (which the IOC knew). He will always be a man. A man was awarded an Olympic gold medal for beating women to a pulp. Nothing can right this wrong, but the IOC can start by revoking his medal," she added.
What People Are Saying
Khelif said in a recent exclusive interview with CNN: "I’m not transgender. I’m a woman. I want to live my life… Please do not exploit me in your political agendas."
She told the outlet: "Of course, I would accept doing anything I’m required to do to participate in competitions."
On the IOC's authority, she said: "They should protect women, but they need to pay attention that while protecting women, they shouldn’t hurt other women."
Former Olympic swimmer and medalist for Great Britain Sharron Davies MBE, wrote in a post on X: "I’m astonished any media are still fooled by this nonsense. Missed 2 world champs (as needed to agreed to a sex test), previous sex test proved male, & we all have eyes."
What Happens Next
Trump has previously said that there will be a "strong form of testing" when asked about potential genetic testing for the 2028 Olympics, so it is likely Khelif will be required to complete a genetic sex test to participate in the upcoming games.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines