Who is Paris Olympics gold medalist Imane Khelif and what's the ...

<p>Image Credit: Instagram/@imane_khelif_10</p><p><a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x1ejq31n xd10rxx x1sy0etr x17r0tee x972fbf xcfux6l x1qhh985 xm0m39n x9f619 x1ypdohk xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz x6s0dn4 x78zum5 x1q0g3np xs83m0k xeuugli x1n2onr6 _a6hd" href="https://www.instagram.com/imane_khelif_10/#" role="link" tabindex="0"></a></p><br>

Algerian boxer

Imane Khelif

, who was involved in the gender row in the

Paris Olympics

, has made the news again due to a leaked medical report. According to the report obtained by French journalist Djaffar Ait Aoudia,

Khelif

was affected by 5-alpha reductase deficiency—a disorder of sexual development typically found in genetic males.Drafted in June 2023, the leaked report is thought to be the result of a joint effort between the Kremlin-Bicêtre Hospital in Paris, France, and the Mohamed Lamine Debaghine Hospital in Algiers, Algeria. Attached to the report was an MRI result from a comprehensive physical examination conducted on Khelif to confirm a disorder of sexual development. The MRI reportedly revealed that Khelif had no uterus but instead had internal testicles and a “micropenis” resembling an enlarged clitoris.

French journalist Djaffar Ait Aoudia also stated that Khelif also underwent a chromosomal test that seemed to confirm that Khelif had XY chromosomes. The Hormone test also concluded that Khelif had high testosterone levels that were typical in males. The report also suggested that such a condition might be the consequence of Khelif’s parent being blood relatives.

Imane Khelif’s participation in women’s boxing championships has long been a topic of fiery debate. In 2023, she was barred by the International Boxing Association (IBA) from competing in the World Championship gold medal match in New Delhi. Although Khelif was assigned female at birth, as reflected on her passport, her gender became a focal point of discussion, with questions about her eligibility in her category resurfacing during the recent Paris Olympics. This scrutiny stems partly from an ongoing rift between the sport's governing body, the International Boxing Association, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which uses an athlete’s passport sex marker as the eligibility criterion for boxing. In response to the controversies, Imane has made her position clear and was quoted saying, ““I was born as a woman, I live as a woman, and I am qualified.”

What is

5-alpha reductase deficiency

?5-alpha reductase deficiency (5ARD) is a rare genetic condition that affects sexual development before birth and during puberty. People with this condition are usually genetically male, but they are assigned as being female due to the deformed genitalia which does not look clearly male or clearly female.