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Algerian boxer and 2024 Paris Olympic Games gold medallist, Imane Khelif has found herself in the storm regarding her gender after a leaked medical reported claimed her to be a “man”. Khelif, who hogged the limelight in the 2024 edition of the Olympic Games in Paris, clinched a historic gold medal in the women’s 66kg category. Her gender became once again the talking point after she knocked out her opponent, Ireland’s Anegla Carini in just 46 seconds.
The Algerian boxer who has been amidst controversy since last year, was disqualified from the World Championships 2023. However, she fulfilled International Olympic Association’s (IOA) criteria, considering that she has been assigned as a female at birth and even has it on her passport. But the latest leaked medical reports have put her identity once again in the radar.
Imane Khelif impacted with 5-alpha reductase deficiency
As per the leaked medical reports obtained by the French journalist Djaffar Ait Aoudia, states that Khelif was impacted by 5-alpha reductase deficiency, a disorder which is found in genetic males with respect to sexual development. The report, which was drafted in June 2023 in collaboration between the Kremlin-Bicetre Hospital in Paris and the Mohamed Lamine Debaghine Hospital in Algiers, Algeria, has claimed that Khelif has no uterus, but instead had internal testicals and a micropenis resembling an enlarged clitoris.
Furthermore, a chromosomal test confirmed that Khelif is carrying XY karyotype, referring to a genetic male with report recommending a “surgical correction and hormone therapy” with psychological support. As per the French journalist, the doctors have suggested that Khelif’s parents may have been blood relatives following several tests.
What is 5-alpha reductase?
According to several medical guidelines, 5-alpha reductase is a condition that affects sexual development and puberty in people, who are born genetically male. It is one of the most common reasons for ambiguous genitalia in children. Speaking in detail, several doctors have reported that this deficiency may cause onset masculinisation with enhanced muscle and hair growth and an absence of breast tissue even if the person is assigned as a female at birth.
