Algeria condemns 'baseless' Imane Khelif medical leak

Months after winning gold in the Paris Olympics, Algeria's Imane Khelif has been under continued criticism.

The Algerian Olympic Committee (COA) has criticized the "ongoing and baseless attacks" on Imane Khelif, after an unverified leaked medical assessment allegedly showed the Paris Olympic boxing gold medalist as having internal testes and no uterus.

"These attacks, often based on unsubstantiated allegations, aim to tarnish the image of an athlete who has brought honor to our nation on the international stage," the COA told DW in a statement. "We firmly condemn these attempts at destabilization, which have no place in the world of sports." 

Meanwhile, Jacques Young, an endocrinologist at Bicetre Hospital in Paris who reportedly co-authored the assessment, has suggested to DW that his name was being used to spread false information and an anti-trans agenda.

The hospital wouldn't confirm the authenticity of the assessment, telling DW that it "does not provide any information relating to medical confidentiality and, in particular, does not specify whether a person has consulted a doctor or not."

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) wouldn't comment on "unverified documents whose origin cannot be confirmed," but said it understood that Khelif was "preparing a lawsuit in response to the latest reporting."

The assessment, which is said to have been written in June 2023, has been widely shared by media outlets and on social media, including by Riley Gaines and Sharron Davies, two former swimmers who have been vocal against transgender women being allowed to compete in the female category.

"These claims, which have persisted for several months, are entirely unfounded and contradict the values and principles of the Olympic movement," the COA said.

Continued controversy and criticism

Algeria's Khelif, who won gold in the women's 66-kilogram category, was at the center of controversy throughout the Games after the International Boxing Association (IBA) accused her of twice failing unspecified gender tests at its world championships in 2022 and 2023.

Those tests allegedly revealed that Khelif possesses XY (male) chromosomes, although the IBA failed to provide any substantial evidence to support its claims. The IOC, which ran the boxing competition in Paris because of the IBA's suspension from the Olympics, said at the time that the tests were "not legitimate."

Anti-trans agenda?

The hysteria surrounding Khelif has continued long after the end of the Olympics. The Algerian was targeted by online abuse and one of boxing's professional bodies, the WBO, put out a statement last month denying reports that it had banned the 25-year-old fighter and stripped her of her gold medal — something it would never have the power to do.

The latest claims originated in France on October 25, but gained traction on social media in early November 2024, when they were picked up by Reduxx, an online magazine that labels itself as "pro woman" and "anti-bullsh*t."

Purportedly based on a leaked medical assessment authored by Young and an Algerian endocrinologist, Soumaya Fedala, the original report on a little-known French website detailed how Khelif allegedly underwent an MRI scan and genetic testing, which supposedly revealed that she has an XY difference of sexual development (DSD). Women with some DSDs are often wrongly conflated with transgender women.

A screenshot from the assessment, which was glossed over in the original French report, showed that the doctors, Young and Fedala, judged Khelif to be female. "In view of the clinical history ... the female sex is always favored," the screenshot read.

When it was put to Young that his name was potentially being used to legitimize false information and further an anti-trans agenda, he told DW: "I think your statement perfectly reflects reality."

Khelif, who has never identified as anything other than a woman, has been approached for comment via her manager.

Edited by: Jonathan Harding