Imane Khelif has found herself to be at the center of a world media & political witch-hunt, when she should be concentrating on what is possibly the pinnacle of her career as an elite athlete.

Far Right Organisations, politicians and media have demanded that she submit to a sex test to determine her femininity.

The simple fact is that she would most likely fail their test. She is not a normal woman. She is an Olympian at the height of her powers as an athlete on the biggest stage in the world.

And if she fails, then we must be prepared to watch others fail. Cis Women Athletes that they might not suspect as having an unfair advantage will fail, because being an elite athlete means that you have an advantage.

There are two boxers, Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting who are at the center of this controversy.

Neither Khelif nor Lin were ever men or transgender.

They have never been recognised as men and they have never identified as men.

Both athletes came to world attention simply because they dont look feminine enough in the eyes of the men ruling a problematic boxing organisation (that is facing Olympic exclusion).

The argument against them is that in the 2023 World Boxing Championships DNA tests had ‘proved’ they had XY chromosomes and were thus excluded.

And like Caster Semenya, they were initially tested because of suspicians of their femininity.

As is the case with every woman, there is a possibility of a chromosomal variation.

However, would this scandal even exist if both athletes conformed to western ideals of what a woman should look like?

Defining eligibility to compete in Women’s Sports has its roots in racism and bigotry.

Defining Women has been used in recent history to exclude Women of Colour.

The fact that her chosen sport is Boxing adds a further narrative.

This falls into the Far Right narrative of protecting women, and failed men beating up defenceless women athletes.

The Far Right are demanding women conform to a gender binary (“there’s only male and female”) based on chromosomes XX (female) and XY (male). At some point you have to move past secondary school biology lessons.

There are many other chromosome types, such as:  XXY, XO, XXX, XYY, and even Mosaic Variants.

The lessons of Sex Testing women at the 1996 Olympics have long been forgotten, and we are rapidly returning to making the same mistakes again.

World Intersex & Trans Organisations have come out in support of Imane Khelif, but there is no evidence that she is either Intersex or Trans, and why should that matter?

Women’s Rights Organisations need to step up and stand beside her, before we head into another phase in the history of policing women’s bodies.

Sorcha Ní Fhaoláin:

Rosa Socialist Feminist Movement.

About me: I have been involved in the Irish Cycling scene for over 40 years – In that time I have been an Elite Rider, A Coach and Manager at Elite National team level. A multi National Medalist & Champion.