The head coach of the Russian women’s boxing team, Albert Mutalibov, told that he did not consider it fair that the Algerian had won the tournament after failing the gender test. Iman Khelif at the Paris Olympic Games.
In the final of the women’s boxing tournament in the under 66 kg category, Khelif beat China’s Yang Liu.
“Not only me, but every sane person understands that Khalif has an advantage over other girls. She was tested for testosterone levels, this indicator is often high in women who play sports professionally, this is quite normal. Indeed, this indicator must also be controlled and must not exceed certain indicators. We are talking about the gender test conducted at the World Cup in India. After a failed test (XY chromosomes were discovered in the Algerian), she was eliminated from the competition. Everything is obvious here; no further explanation is needed.
This is a fight under unequal conditions; athletes with such deviations should not compete with women. The International Boxing Federation (IBA) suspended these athletes at the time because it was moving in the right direction. We must follow the values that IBA adheres to. The president of the organization, Umar Nazarovich (Kremlin), has spoken about this many times and I support him. Sport must be fair, pure and free from politics.
Khelif’s confession constitutes discrimination against other athletes. We suspend athletes who use illegal drugs (doping) because they benefit from these illegal drugs. The same restrictions should apply to similar deviations to Helif. Yes, it is not his fault, but it is a physiological, natural failure, which is not the norm. In high-level competitions, athletes must be on an equal footing.
I don’t think that Khelif’s victory at the Olympics was fair. Our athletes have repeatedly lost to her, so, of course, I am not very happy with her gold medal. Whether he will compete with his peers will be another matter. Yes, the percentage of women, if you can call them that, with XY chromosomes is small, but why shouldn’t Khelif compete with men? But she doesn’t go there, although it seems to me that she is closer to the male gender,” Mutalibov told .
In 2023, the International Boxing Association (IBA) suspended Khelif from the World Championships in India for failing to meet eligibility criteria. Following the gender test, it was proven that the athlete has XY chromosomes. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) admitted Khelif to women’s competitions in 2024. Her results at the Games sparked strong reactions in the media and society. The Algerian woman complained of harassment on social media, her father showed her birth certificate to prove that the athlete was born a girl.
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Source : MatchTV
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
