Fact check: Algerian women's boxer Imane Khelif is not a transgender athlete

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has made headlines after her controversial fight with Italy's Angela Carini at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Carini abandoned the round of 16 fight after just 46 seconds, later saying she has never been hit as hard in the ring before.

Khelif was banned from the 2023 World Championships in New Delhi after failing a gender eligibility test but has been allowed to compete at the Olympic Games.

But despite the controversy surrounding this, Khelif is not a transgender athlete. It's reported there are no transgender women competing at the 2024 Olympics at all.

Imane Khelif's fight with Angela Carini at the 2024 Olympics in Paris has courted controversy / Yahya Arhab, EPA

There are concerns from some that transgender women have an unfair advantage over other competitors but a number of federations have strict guidelines when it comes to this.

The 2023 World Championships were run by the International Boxing Association (IBA) and both Khelif and Taiwan's double world champion Lin Yu-Ting failed to meet the gender eligibility criteria; neither athlete identifies as transgender or intersex.

It's reported the IBA did not detail why these tests were failed but did say neither had testosterone examinations.

This led to Khelif being incorrectly labelled transgender but she has always competed in women's categories and has never identified as male or transgender.

The International Olympic Committee no longer recognises the IBA and the boxing event at the 2024 Olympics is being organised by the Paris Boxing Unit (PBU), an ad-hoc unit established by the IOC's Executive Board.

Speaking about the reaction to the fight, IOC spokesman Mark Adams addressed the controversy and stated that it is not a transgender issue.

“I repeat, all the competitors comply with the eligibility rules. But what I would say is that this involves real people," he said [viaThe Guardian's Sean Ingle]. "And, by the way, this is not a transgender issue. I should make this absolutely clear.”

The IOC previously said in a statement: "All athletes participating in the boxing tournament of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 comply with the competition's eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations in accordance with rules 1.4 and 3.1 of the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit.

"The PBU endeavoured to restrict amendments to minimise the impact on athletes' preparation and guaranteeing consistency between Olympic Games."

An IOC spokesperson further said all female competitors meet eligibility criteria and are recognised as women on their passports.

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