IOC says Khelif preparing legal action after new eligibility claims

Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif is back in the spotlight this week following fresh questioning of her eligibility to have competed in the women’s 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 boxer’s right to participate in the women’s category, says the report cites “unverified documents whose origin cannot be confirmed”.

The IOC says Khelif, who is already taking legal action against individuals who commented on her situation during the Games, is now “preparing a lawsuit” in response to the latest report.

“The IOC is saddened by the abuse that Imane Khelif is currently receiving,” 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 women’s competition.

The Algerian, 25, won women’s 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 “failed to meet the eligibility criteria for participating in women’s competition”.

The IBA defines a woman, female or girl as “an individual with chromosome XX” and men, males or boys as “an individual with chromosome XY”.

The IOC questioned the legitimacy and credibility of the IBA’s 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 Taiwan’s 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 Lin’s bans.

Chief executive Chris Roberts said the pair had “chromosome tests”, while president Umar Kremlev appeared to suggest the tests determined the fighters’ testosterone levels.

The BBC has been unable to determine what the eligibility tests consisted of.

Khelif’s opening bout at the Olympics against Angela Carini was abandoned after 46 seconds, with the Italian saying she stopped the fight to “preserve my life”.

Carini later apologised to Khelif, saying she was ‘sorry’ for the backlash the Algerian received after the fight.

Speaking after her Olympic victory, Khelif said she had been a victim of “bullying” and that the IBA “hate me”.

“I am fully qualified to take part in this competition. I am a woman like any other woman,” said Khelif.

“I was born a woman. I have lived as a woman. I competed as a woman – there is no doubt about that.”

“All the athletes who participated in the boxing tournament at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 complied with the competition’s 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,” the IOC added.

BBC Sport has contacted Khelif’s representatives for comment.