The scandalous story of Olympic gold: How Helif became the reason for a game of thrones conflict?

The Olympic Games are a celebration for all fans.

Boxing is a very specific sport, and many people perceive it as: why hit each other?

But it’s intriguing, there’s a lot of money and action. And at the Olympics, the fights are fast-paced, with unique scoring, so boxers usually try to be precise and swift.

For those unaware, there are specific weight categories that a boxer must fit into. This is done to ensure an even distribution of strength. But what if weight doesn’t matter, and someone is naturally stronger?

This question arises when looking at Iman Khélif, the Algerian boxer who won Olympic gold in the 66 kg category.

After her first fight in Paris, Khélif was labeled a transgender by some. But this is untrue. You may interpret this information as you wish, but it’s essential to understand: a transgender person is someone who has changed their gender, while elevated testosterone levels are something entirely different.

Let’s clarify: if Khélif were a man who transitioned to female, that’s one thing. There’s no judgment on personal choices, but competing against women would be wrong.

However, Khélif was born this way. A statement from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) reads:

"She was born a woman, registered as a woman, lived as a woman, and boxed as a woman, possessing a female passport."

So what can we ask? Why does she have elevated testosterone levels? It’s not our place. Do you think Khélif thought, “Oh, I have an advantage, I’ll go into boxing?” Even if she did, it’s her right; she hasn’t broken any laws.

If anyone should be questioned, it’s the IOC. Why wasn’t there any information before the tournament? It should have been made clear: she is not transgender, she is a woman.

And this should have been done well before the competition, not a day or two before, and certainly not during. Especially since the International Boxing Association (IBA) disqualified Iman from the World Championships. And here’s where it gets interesting.

The IBA – the international boxing association that until recently oversaw almost all amateur boxing. And as you know, it’s amateur boxing that’s represented at the Olympics; professionals are not allowed. At some point, the IOC took away the right to conduct boxing at the Olympics from the IBA because the head of the organization is the Russian Umar Kremlev. Why? Well, Russia was banned from all global sports after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in the winter of 2022. So that’s clear.

And, to put it simply, the IBA was offended by the IOC. This happens; sports federations often clash with the Olympic Committee. They’ve had disagreements before, but that’s not the focus here.

Iman became the pretext for creating a conflict. At one point, the IBA disqualified Khélif during the 2023 World Championships. What was the reason? Some tests were conducted, the results of which were not made public. Furthermore, according to Kremlev, Iman was found to have XY chromosomes. And yes, only according to the head of the IBA. That’s it. No proof, no documents, nothing. The situation was blown up by Russian media, and international outlets picked it up because—oh, a scandal!

No one investigated further. She was disqualified, and that was that. And it just so happened that Iman’s next competition was the Olympic Games. The IOC, of course, issued a statement saying that the procedure of disqualifying Iman violated all rules. But no one checked. No one cared, and in Paris, everyone suddenly paid attention again.

Few people know that Khélif lost 9 amateur-level fights in her career. So, what’s the advantage here? Can’t she be beaten? She can. And the most important thing is that Iman competed in the Tokyo Games in 2021. Back then, the IBA was working with the IOC…

So who’s deceiving whom? No idea. Let everyone draw their own conclusions. Perhaps there’s more to this than just sports discrepancies (talking about politics). But please, let’s not make any accusations against Khélif. She lost in the 2nd round in Tokyo, and no one complained. She earned her gold through hard work. Let’s just congratulate her.

And the IOC should be asked in the future – clarify the situation immediately so that everyone understands what the issue is. Official statements matter. The committee’s press service should have influence, not some Russian media or anything else…