Imane Khelif’s trainer admits ‘problem with chromosomes’ after boxer took gold: ‘This poor young girl was devastated’
The coach of controversial Olympic gold medallist Imane Khelif has hinted that a “chromosome problem” led to the boxing federation banning her from women’s competitions last year.
The International Boxing Association (IBA) disqualified her after medical tests revealed the powerful welterweight boxer was “biologically male.”
The Algerian waved away all opposition when she was allowed to compete as a woman at the Olympics, simply because her passport said ‘woman’.
Her coach, Georges Cazorla, has now confirmed that the tests revealed ‘a problem with the hormones’ and ‘with the chromosomes’, suggesting she may have the XY chromosomes characteristic of males.
“This poor young girl was devastated, devastated when she suddenly discovered that she might not be a girl,” he told the French magazine Le Point.
Imane Khelif celebrates her gold medal after winning the women’s welterweight boxing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games amid a storm of controversy
Khelif’s coach, Georges Cazorla, has admitted it was a ‘problem with hormones’ and ‘with chromosomes’ that led to her being previously banned from women’s competitions
Italy’s Angela Carini threw her helmet to the ground and cried after just two devastating punches from Khelif in the round of 16 on August 1.
The Naples policewoman said she had “never been hit so hard in her life” and lost in just 46 seconds to her opponent across the Mediterranean.
Spain coach Rafa Lozano has now revealed that Khelif was deemed too dangerous to play with women during a boxing retreat in Madrid ahead of the Olympic Games.
“They had a retreat in Blume and we couldn’t place her with anyone,” he told Radio Marca.
“We put her with Jennifer Fernandez and it hurt her. The person we put her with got hurt.”
He said coaches only found a suitable match for her after pairing her with José Quiles, one of Spain’s top male boxers.
“I don’t think it’s fair,” he said. “Everyone can think what they want, but that’s how I see it.”
Khelif is seen as a national hero after beating China’s Yang Liu in the final and was also selected as one of the Algerian flag bearers for the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics on Sunday.
But the success of Khelif and Taiwanese gold medalist Lin Yu-Ting has led to intense pressure on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to tighten restrictions on who can compete in the women’s categories.
Khelif won the gold after a battle with China’s Liu Yang on Friday, defying those who criticized her or spread misinformation about her gender
Spain coach Rafa Lozano has revealed that Khelif was deemed too dangerous to play with women during a boxing retreat in Madrid ahead of the Olympic Games.
The organization has not performed chromosomal testing since 1999 and stopped testing for elevated testosterone levels in 2021 after concluding that the tests hindered “fairness, inclusion, and nondiscrimination based on gender identity and sex variance.”
“Everyone competing in the women’s category will abide by the rules of participation in the competition,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said last week.
‘Their passports say they are women and it is stated that way.’
But Carini wasn’t the first former opponent to testify to the power of Khelif’s punches.
Mexican boxer Brianda Tamara Cruz said she was lucky to survive after sharing a ring with the Algerian at the 2022 Golden Belt Series final in Guadalajara.
“When I fought her, I felt it was out of my reach. I got hurt a lot from the punches,” she said.
‘I don’t think I’ve ever felt like this in the 13 years I’ve been boxing, not even when sparring with men.
‘Thank God, I came out of the ring fine that day.’
On Friday, Olympic president Thomas Bach again defended Khelif’s right to box, but added that he would be the first to introduce an agreed “scientifically based system.”
“This system works and that’s why our decision is clear,” he added. “Women should be allowed to participate in women’s competitions and the two are women.”
The IBA declined to share further details about the tests, saying the “specific data” would “remain confidential.” Khelif has since filed a formal complaint with the French Public Prosecutor’s Office, calling on them to investigate online harassment.
“After winning a gold medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, boxer Imane Khelif has decided to take up a new fight: that of justice, dignity and honour,” her lawyer Nabil Boud said on Saturday.
‘Mrs Khelif contacted our company, which yesterday filed a complaint of serious cyber intimidation with the online hate unit of the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Paris.
‘The criminal investigation must determine who initiated this misogynistic, racist and sexist campaign, but will also focus on who fueled this digital lynching.
“The unfair intimidation this boxing champion endured will remain the greatest stain on the Olympic Games.”
Khelif was disqualified from the International Boxing Association (IBA) Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi last year after tests revealed she had XY chromosomes
But she won gold on Friday despite online hate and claims she is ‘biologically male’
Khelif has filed a complaint with French police against the serious cyberbullying and has criticized critics who “cannot digest my success”
The 25-year-old welterweight boxer has become a national hero and was selected on Sunday as one of the Algerian flag bearers for the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris.
However, in a statement of its own, the IBA condemned the “inconsistencies in the eligibility criteria” at the Paris Olympics, adding: “Both Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting did not meet the required eligibility criteria to compete in the women’s category of our respective events following testing.
“The urgency of the decision (to disqualify the boxers) was justified as the safety of our boxers is our highest priority.”
Khelif told a press conference after winning her medal: ‘I am a woman like any other woman. I was born as a woman and I have lived as a woman, but there are enemies of success and they cannot digest my success.’
She later added: ‘Everything that is said about me on social media is immoral. I want to change the minds of people all over the world.’