Is Alegrian boxer Imane Khelif married, does she have a husband or boyfriend and what is her religion and gender history

Is Alegrian boxer Imane Khelif married, does she have a husband or boyfriend and what is her religion and gender history

Have a look at the religion and gender history of Imane Khelif

Algeriaโ€™s Imane Khelif, has became a subject of online troll and criticism after winning a match against Italian boxer Angela Carini, on Thursday at the Paris Olympics 2024.

For the unversed, Angela Carini quit her 66 kg womenโ€™s category bout against Imane Khelif, handling the latter a win in the opening round.

Is Alegrian boxer Imane Khelif married, does she have a husband or boyfriend and what is her religion and gender history

The 25-year-old Algerian boxer, who was previously banned from competing in the world championships due to failures in testosterone and gender eligibility tests, secured this historic victory within just 46 seconds in the match as Carini abandoned the game after a very few punches were thrown, which is a rare occurrence in Olympic boxing.

The win of Imane Khelif, drew adverse comments from prominent figures like JK Rowling and Elon Musk, who took to social media questioning Khelifโ€™s gender. So, letโ€™s find out more information about the Algeriaโ€™s professional boxer.

About Imane Khelif

For the unfamiliar, Khelif who is a Muslim by religion and is a biological female since, was born on May 2, 1999, in Tiaret, Algeria and is an Algerian boxer. She came to light after she represented her nation in Tokyo Olympics 2020. Khelif is single and unmarried.

Growing up in a rural village in Tiaret Province, Khelif, originally played football prior to opting boxing. In her early days, she had to commute to neighboring village to attend boxing training sessions.

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Reports indicates that her father initially didnโ€™t allowed her to participate in sports as he didnโ€™t โ€œapprove of girls boxing.โ€

Gender Controversy Explained

For the unversed, at the Paris Olympics 2024, the professional boxer became the subject of false claims and rumors that she is a male-to-female transgender woman. These claims emerged online after she won a bout against Italyโ€™s Carini, within just 46 seconds.

However, let us remind you, Algeria is an Islamic country that prohibits gender transition and committing gender transition is illegal there.

To address these viral claims, the IOC and Paris Boxing Unit, both published a joint statement affirming her eligibility to participate in the tournament and in the category and described these false news as misleading.

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Imane Khelif is said to have DSD (Disorders of s*x development) and an individual with the condition has an imbalance in reproductive parts, genes, and hormones. Individuals like Imane Khelif are raised as females but they possess male testosterone and XY chromosomes in their body due to the condition, and their body use it accordingly. This could be the reason behind her having an increased level of testosterone despite being a female by birth.

 

What Did IOC Say?

After witnessing many comments in social media criticizing the Olympian, IOC forced to come out to back Imane Khelif. In a statement, the IOC said that all athletes participating in the tournament comply with the โ€œcompetitionโ€™s eligibility and entry regulations,โ€ adding that all athletes comply โ€œwith rules 1.4 and 3.1 of the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit.โ€

They further added that, โ€œThese rules also applied during the qualification period, including the boxing tournaments of the 2023 European Games, Asian Games, Pan American Games and Pacific Games.โ€

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Let us remind you, Imane Khelif, is scheduled to fight on Saturday at 4:22 p.m. BST.

ALSO READ: Who is Italian boxer Angela Carini who withdrew against Imane Khelif, bio, age, height, father, record and Instagram