Algerian Olympic champion Imane Khelif has once again found herself at the center of a global sports debate after revealing new details about her biological profile.
On February 3, the boxer admitted that she carries the SRY gene in an interview with the French outlet, L’Équipe. Her revelation comes nearly two years after her controversial gold medal run at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Highlights
- Imane Khelif broke her silence on her biological profile, admitting to carrying the "male-typical" SRY gene.
- The champion addressed "transgender" labels and explained why her condition is entirely natural.
- She revealed the medical lengths she went to, including lowering levels to zero to secure her Olympic gold.
- Despite the trauma of the Paris Games, Khelif issued a bold challenge to those demanding new tests for the next Olympics.
The “s*x-determining region Y” (SRY) gene is typically found on the Y chromosome and plays a key role in triggering male-typical development during fetal growth.
Her admission quickly reignited the medical, political, and sporting debates that surrounded her Olympic victory.
Image Khelif confirmed she carries the SRY gene, but insisted her condition is natural and she has always lived as a woman
Image credits: Ulrik Pedersen/Getty Images
Speaking to L’Équipe, Khelif addressed the long-running speculation about her biology more directly.
“Yes, and it’s natural,” she said when asked about having the SRY gene. “I have female hormones. And people don’t know it, but I’ve already lowered my testosterone levels for competitions.”
She further noted that her own situation is unique and entirely natural.
“I’m not a transsexual. My difference is natural. I’m like that. I did nothing to change the way nature did to me.”
Image credits: imane_khelif_10
Khelif also revealed that she has been under medical supervision and underwent hormone treatments before major competitions.
“For the qualifying tournament at the Paris Games, which was held in Dakar, I lowered my testosterone level to zero. And I won the gold medal there.”
She added that she is not afraid of further scrutiny and will comply with any testing required for the 2028 Olympics. “For the next Games, if you have to take a test, I will submit to it. I have no problem with that.”
Her revelation came after months of political attacks and public speculation that had already turned her into one of the most controversial figures of the Paris Games.
The controversy first exploded at the 2024 Paris Olympics after a 46-second fight put her at the center of a global gender debate
Khelif first became a global talking point during the Paris Olympics in 2024. Her Round of 16 bout against Italy’s Angela Carini lasted just 46 seconds after the latter withdrew, saying she was in too much pain from the punches.
The moment quickly escalated into a global debate about gender and eligibility in women’s sports as politicians, celebrities, and commentators weighed in.
President Donald Trump repeatedly referred to Khelif as a “male boxer” and cited her case while prompting restrictions on certain athletes in women’s sports.
Image credits: Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) pushed back strongly against those claims. IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said, “The Algerian boxer was born female, was registered female, lived her life as a female, boxed as a female, has a female passport.”
During a press conference in August 2024, IOC president Thomas Bach also insisted there was “never any doubt” she was a woman under Olympic rules.
Image credits: Andy Cheung/Getty Images
"We are talking about women's boxing. We have two boxers who were born as women, raised as women, who have passports as women, and who have competed for many years as women, and this is a clear definition of a woman.”
Despite the backlash surrounding Khelif, she went on to win gold in the women’s welterweight division, becoming Algeria’s first female Olympic boxing champion.
But the debate did not end with the medal ceremony; if anything, it only intensified afterward.
Khelif’s Olympic triumph came after a prior disqualification and conflicting rulings between boxing authorities
Image credits: imane_khelif_10
The roots of the controversy stretch back to 2023, when Khelif was disqualified from the World Championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA) for failing unspecified gender eligibility criteria.
Though the details of those tests were never made public, the IOC stripped the IBA of its governing authority over Olympic boxing, citing governance and transparency concerns.
Under IOC rules at the Paris Games, athletes were eligible to compete in the female category if their passports listed them as female. Khelif reportedly met the criteria and was cleared to participate.
Furthermore, the IOC described the IBA’s disqualification as arbitrary and lacking due process, while the latter maintained that its eligibility rules were necessary for fairness.
These conflicting rulings left Khelif caught between two different regulatory approaches, setting the stage for a political storm.
Several political figures, including Donald Trump, used Khelif’s case to push sports and gender policies
Image credits: Richard Pelham/Getty Images
Trump consistently cited her case while advocating for policies to restrict certain athletes from competing in women’s sports.
He used her example to support his 2025 executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.”
In a January 2026 speech to Republican lawmakers, Trump again referred to Khelif as a “male boxer”.
Khelif responded directly to the political attention during her latest interview.
Image credits: Peter Byrne/Getty Images
"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."
In a recent interview with CNN, she asked politicians to stop invoking her name for political agendas.
“I’m not transgender. I’m a woman. I want to live my life… Please do not exploit me in your political agendas.”
Still, her recent admission about the SRY gene has further fueled the debate.
Conservative commentators seized on Khelif’s latest admission while she doubled down, claiming she has nothing to hide
Image credits: imane_khelif_10
After her interview with L’Équipe went viral, conservative commentators and advocacy groups claimed her admission confirmed their earlier criticisms.
Kim Shasby Jones, the co-founder of the Independent Council on Women’s Sports, said 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."
Fox News host Riley Gaines said, "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.”
Khelif rejected those characterizations and reiterated that her condition is natural.
“We all have different genetics, different hormone levels. I’m not transgender. My difference is natural. This is who I am.”
She also emphasized that she is willing to undergo any testing required in the future.
“Of course, I would accept doing anything I’m required to do to participate in competitions.”
Khelif claimed the attacks caused psychological trauma as she prepares for possible testing before the 2028 Olympics
Image credits: imane_khelif_10
In her CNN interview, Khelif openly admitted that the controversy has caused her trauma.
“What happened during the Olympics caused me psychological trauma, for me, and for my family… But I am still here. I am still fighting. I am still boxing.”
She noted that she continues to work with doctors and a therapist while preparing for a possible return to competition.
The IOC is currently reviewing eligibility rules for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. And Khelif has stated she will comply with whatever rules are introduced.
“They should protect women, but they need to pay attention to the fact that while protecting women, they shouldn’t hurt other women.”
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