Olympic champion and State Duma deputy Svetlana Zhurova told Match TV that Algerian representative Iman Khelif, who became the boxing champion at the 2024 Olympics, could have been identified as a girl at birth, and male sexual characteristics could have developed in her as she grew up.

Le Correspondant published a medical report according to which Khelif was found to have no uterus and ovaries, as well as the presence of testes in the inguinal canal and a micropenis resembling an enlarged clitoris. Another test confirmed that Khelif is a carrier of a normal male karyotype 46,XY. As a result of a hormonal study, the Algerian woman revealed a “typical male testosterone level” of 14.7 nmol/l, which is several times higher than the maximum testosterone level in women. At the Games in Paris, Khelif won a gold medal in the 66 kg weight category.

“I had suspicions that at birth she was a hermaphrodite: she had both sexual characteristics. Most likely, this is the rub, that according to her passport and at birth, she was identified as a girl. When a person is born with two sexes, it happens that in childhood they are determined by their gender, and then they live with it all their lives. And we understand that there have already been cases of the participation of hermaphrodites in the history of sports. This is rare, not so often, but it has happened before. Because of this, they came up with a genetic examination, and we took it. And if someone was found to have a Y chromosome, then this was a reason to ban the person from participating in women’s competitions. All. Then, when the story of transgender people arose, the question arose: if a transgender person can participate, then why not a hermaphrodite? That is, the opportunity to participate has again appeared for people with two gender characteristics.

But I think she was really identified as a girl from birth. It turns out that the whole world is up in arms against her… Maybe there are primary signs, but there is no such chromosome. Well, this is how it turned out – an anomaly. Maybe she doesn’t have this chromosome. They determined the sex at birth, and then everything grew up, I apologize. At first it didn’t grow, and then suddenly it grew and it was too late. This is a Muslim country. They identified her as a girl, and then she grew up by the time she was 10 years old – will they tell about it, or what? You understand that they will kill her there then. A very difficult moment. Why did they get into sports? From a human point of view, I feel sorry for her.

But the IOC has indicated that if transgender people can compete, then so can hermaphrodites. Even if she had such signs, how is she different from a transgender person?

In my opinion, people with characteristics of two genders should participate in a separate format, since there are more and more of them. This point needs to be resolved by the International Olympic Committee itself. Unfortunately, otherwise there will still be scandals. It will be the same every time.

I don’t really understand how such data got into the press. This is very reminiscent of some kind of duck. Still, this must be a medical secret, for sure. For me, it’s strange that the whole world will be discussing this again, but the question is how could it even get into the public field. If this is not a report from an official commission that responded to an official request, this is strange. But why would this happen? Did the athlete herself give them permission to do this? This is very reminiscent of a journalistic canard. It is unlikely that such certificates can become public without her permission. This is very important,” Match TV quotes Zhurova as saying.

“We understand that Iman Khelif has filed a lawsuit against individuals who commented on her situation during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and is also preparing a lawsuit in response to recent reports. The IOC will not comment while the trial is ongoing or media reports about unverified documents whose origin cannot be verified.

Iman Khelif has been competing in women’s boxing internationally for many years, including the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the International Boxing Association (IBA) World Championships and IBA-sanctioned tournaments,” said an IOC spokesperson. Odds.

In 2023, the International Boxing Association (IBA) suspended Khelif during the World Championships in India due to failure to meet eligibility criteria. After a gender test, it was proven that the athlete has XY chromosomes.