IOC says Khelif preparing legal action after new eligibility claims
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Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif is back in the spotlight this week following fresh questioning of her eligibility to have competed in the womenâs competition at Paris 2024.
A report last week in French magazine Le Correspondant claimed to have seen a leaked medical report about the Algerian.
The BBC has been unable to verify the claims.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), which has repeatedly defended the boxerâs right to participate in the womenâs category, says the report cites âunverified documents whose origin cannot be confirmedâ.
The IOC says Khelif, who is already taking legal action against individuals who commented on her situation during the Games, is now âpreparing a lawsuitâ in response to the latest report.
âThe IOC is saddened by the abuse that Imane Khelif is currently receiving,â a spokesperson added.
Khelif, who competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and who is also a World Championship silver medallist, has always insisted she is eligible for the womenâs competition.
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The Algerian, 25, won womenâs welterweight gold in Paris this summer a year after being disqualified from the World Championships for reportedly failing gender eligibility tests.
The tests were conducted by the Russian-led International Boxing Association (IBA), who were later stripped of their world governing body status by the IOC over integrity and governance issues.
The IBA said Khelif âfailed to meet the eligibility criteria for participating in womenâs competitionâ.
The IBA defines a woman, female or girl as âan individual with chromosome XXâ and men, males or boys as âan individual with chromosome XYâ.
The IOC questioned the legitimacy and credibility of the IBAâs tests, saying they could not be relied upon.
The dispute meant the IOC was responsible for running the boxing competition at the Paris Olympics and applied less stringent eligibility criteria.
Khelif and Taiwanâs Lin Yu-ting, who was also banned by the IBA, were both cleared to compete at the Olympics by the IOC.
A chaotic news conference held subsequently by the IBA did little to clear the confusion around Khelif and Linâs bans.
Chief executive Chris Roberts said the pair had âchromosome testsâ, while president Umar Kremlev appeared to suggest the tests determined the fightersâ testosterone levels.
The BBC has been unable to determine what the eligibility tests consisted of.
Khelifâs opening bout at the Olympics against Angela Carini was abandoned after 46 seconds, with the Italian saying she stopped the fight to âpreserve my lifeâ.
Carini later apologised to Khelif, saying she was âsorryâ for the backlash the Algerian received after the fight.
Speaking after her Olympic victory, Khelif said she had been a victim of âbullyingâ and that the IBA âhate meâ.
âI am fully qualified to take part in this competition. I am a woman like any other woman,â said Khelif.
âI was born a woman. I have lived as a woman. I competed as a woman â there is no doubt about that.â
âAll the athletes who participated in the boxing tournament at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 complied with the competitionâs eligibility and entry regulations, together with all the applicable medical regulations enacted by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit (PBU). As with previous Olympic boxing competitions, the gender and age of the athletes were based on their passport details,â the IOC added.
BBC Sport has contacted Khelifâs representatives for comment.
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