Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has excelled within the boxing ring at the 2024 Paris Olympics, besting Angela Carini of Italy, Anna Luca Hamori of Hungary, and Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand to advance to the championships on August 9. Outside the ring, however, Khelif is taking on another fight. In recent days, she has faced a barrage of online attacks fueled by unsubstantiated claims about her gender.
The online abuse began when Carini admitted defeat against Khelif after just 46 seconds. Within hours, numerous figures took to social media to post vitriolic remarks about Khelif, many of which referenced the International Boxing Association’s decision to bar her and fellow Paris Olympian Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan from last year’s world championships. The IBA alleged that both athletes failed to meet its eligibility criteria for a women’s event, though it has continually refused to provide details about the tests it used and has faced criticism from representatives of the International Olympic Committee as a result.
Former President Donald Trump posted a video to social media and pledged to “keep men out of women’s sports.” J.K. Rowling asserted on X that the situation was a “brutal injustice done to Carini” and that the Paris Olympics would “be forever tarnished.” “A young female boxer has just had everything she’s worked and trained for snatched away because you allowed a male to get in the ring with her,” she wrote, falsely calling Khelif a man. Elon Musk reposted a claim that it is “profoundly unfair that we are even considering letting males or significantly physically advantaged individuals demolish their female counterparts.”
Khelif’s case is a classic example of a misinformation campaign in action. Bad actors took advantage of a developing news story and a lack of content moderation on social media platforms like X to spread harmful accusations. Rather than relying on trusted outlets and experts to fact-check information, disinformers ran with stories of their own.
Check the Source: Mysterious ‘Tests’
During the world championships, the IBA told news outlets that its tests proved that both boxers had XY chromosomes. In an official statement released on July 31, 2024, the organization wrote that “the athletes did not undergo a testosterone examination but were subject to a separate and recognized test, whereby the specifics remain confidential.” Both boxers were deemed to have “competitive advantages over other female competitors.”
A day later, the IOC called the IBA’s decision to bar Khelif and Yu-ting from the world championships “sudden and arbitrary” in its own statement. The IOC banned the IBA’s involvement in the Olympics last year, citing concerns about the organization’s lack of integrity and transparency.
The IBA held a news conference on August 5 in which it stated Khelif and Yu-ting took tests that revealed elevated levels of testosterone, contradicting its written statement, and refused to provide other specifics about its own assessments. The Associated Press termed the conference “shambolic.”
In recent days, multiple IOC representatives have repeatedly affirmed the two athletes’ right to participate in the Olympics. “We have two boxers who are born as a woman, who have been raised as a woman, who have a passport as a woman, and who have competed for many years as a woman,” Thomas Bach, the president of the IOC, told reporters. “This is the clear definition of a woman. There was never any doubt about them being a woman.”
Bach has continued to call the online abuse directed at Khelif and Yu-ting unacceptable. PEN America offers resources to those facing or witnessing online abuse.
Misrepresentation of (Unknown) Facts
Khelif was repeatedly identified as “biologically male,” including by some media outlets reporting on the controversy. Her case was used to make a larger point about transgender athletes, although Khelif is not transgender.
Khelif was born female. There is no evidence that she has XY chromosomes, and having XY chromosomes alone would not make her male. She also does not identify as intersex.
It’s not the first time female athletes of color have faced scrutiny and discrimination when it comes to sex testing and accusations that they are male.
A Sudden Pile-On
Rowling’s initial tweet has received nearly 10 million views as of this posting. The post boosted by Musk — whose tweets are automatically followed by the platform’s users unless they opt out — garnered another 6.5 million views. The hashtag #IStandWithAngelaCarini trended on social media.
After her defeat, Carini stated that she was not in a position to comment on Khelif’s eligibility. And prior to their bout, Hamori said she was focused on herself rather than Khelif, but did not correct claims that Khelif was not a woman. “If she or he is a man, it will be a bigger victory for me if I win,” she said.
The campaign against Khelif has taken a toll on her, she told SNTV, a news partner of The Associated Press. The online abuse directed toward her “harms human dignity,” she said.
“I am in contact with my family two days a week. I hope that they weren’t affected deeply,” she said. “They are worried about me. God willing, this crisis will culminate in a gold medal, and that would be the best response.”
Backtracking After the Fact
Khelif’s family members and many of her fans have spoken out in support of her, and some individuals who attacked her initially have since retracted their statements.
After Khelif won, Hamori went on to say she could not “say a single bad word” about her. Carini has also said she respects the IOC’s decision to allow Khelif to fight and wished her luck on her journey toward a gold medal.
YouTube personality Jake Paul called a video of Carini’s defeat “sickening” and “a travesty” on X, and his brother Logan termed the situation “the purest form of evil unfolding right before your eyes.”
Later, Logan took to X again to acknowledge his error. “OOPSIES,” he wrote. “I might be guilty of spreading misinformation along with the entirety of this app. Although she’s been previously disqualified for failing a ‘gender test’ and has XY chromosomes, some sources say Imane Khelif was born a biological woman.”
Here is PEN America’s tip sheet for news consumers looking to catch and combat disinformation online. In this case, examining the facts and questioning the agenda of those spreading the news might have protected Khelif from a global pile-on.
