It remains complicated

Khelif: Born female, yet with a Y chromosome?

Is Imane Khelif not a trans woman after all, but a "real" woman?

(Bild: AFP/APA/MOHD RASFAN)

It remains complicated: Imane Khelif, probably the most controversial (and best-known?) female boxer in the world at the moment, was apparently born a woman. The fact that she nevertheless has a Y chromosome does not necessarily make the case any easier to understand.

Khelif is unlikely to be a so-called trans woman. There should not have been any male-to-female adaptations. More and more media are reporting that she was born as a girl and has always remained a woman. Last year, she was nevertheless banned from the World Boxing Championships because she had too much testosterone and the Y chromosome, meaning she was biologically labeled as a man. Women with a Y chromosome? They do exist. As gynecologist Karen Tang reports in this video:

What's the problem?
If Khelif was born a woman, has always been a woman - what's the problem? Possibly the fact that she enjoys an unassailable competitive advantage due to her biological characteristics - despite being identified as a woman. It was no coincidence that her opponent in the first fight on Thursday said: "I've never felt a punch like that before." This is how Angela Carini described her emotions after her defeat to Khelif. She had already felt great pain seconds into the fight and had given priority to her health.

For IOC President Thomas Bach, however, one thing is clear: "She (Khelif) is a woman who has been competing at international level for six years." Except last year at the World Championships, when she was banned. Precisely because of the Y chromosome and (too) high testosterone levels. Failed the gender test. Unjustly?

"I feel sorry for all those affected"
Boxer Nicole Wesner summarizes the case as follows: "I honestly feel sorry for all the women who are affected: the women who have to compete against her and the two women who are now being hated internationally."

Was Khelif wronged for days? It remains complicated.