The Olympics is a celebration of human capabilities and the marvel of athletics display that human beings possess which is unimaginable to most average human beings. However, the recent Paris Olympics 2024 has found itself in controversy over a boxing match.
It started when Algeria’s Imane Khelif defeated Italy’s Angela Carini under 46 seconds after the latter gave up after claiming it was "impossible to continue". Public outcry soon followed with many calling Imane Khelif a ‘transgender’ and a ‘biological male’.
The rumour stemmed from the fact that Khelif was banned by the International Boxing Association (IBA) for failing its gender test. However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stripped the IBA of its status as a global governing body in 2023 after the boxing organization failed to meet reforms set after it was suspended in 2019 over matters including finance, management and integrity. It is also important to note that the IBA never clarified what test Khelif underwent.
Nevertheless, the internet continued to spread misinformation, with some saying that she has high testosterone levels equal to that of a man, some saying that she has XY chromosomes, making her a man, and some going as far as to label her a transgender athlete, all of which were untrue. Even though she lost to an Irish boxer named Amy Broadhurst before ( who actually came to her defence ) proving that she doesn’t possess any unnatural dominance over other athletes.
Imane Khelif was born and raised as a woman and had struggles similar to any other woman. Her father did not approve of women taking up boxing. However, as she doesn’t conform to the traditional perception of a woman, she was scrutinized and was made a scapegoat on the internet.
It is also important to note that women can have XY chromosomes. It is called Swyer Syndrome. Women with Swyer syndrome have the full biological functions of a woman including female genitalia and structures including a vagina, uterus and fallopian tubes. Women with high testosterone are also not that rare, every 7 in 1,000 elite female athletes do report having high testosterone levels.
The common retort to this argument is that this gives athletes an unfair natural advantage that other athletes cannot overcome, which might be true but many athletes do possess naturally gifted abilities that normal people or athletes would find difficult to overcome.
For example, Michael Phelps, one of the greatest swimmers of all time who has won a mindblowing 28 medals, has a vast wingspan, double-jointed ankles and low production of lactic acid , all of which help him become a better swimmer than the rest. Taller basketball athletes also have a biological advantage over their shorter counterparts, women having high testosterone are no different from this. Similar allegations were also levelled against Indian sprinter, Dutee Chand and many athletes before, proving that it is not a new occurrence.
Claims that transgender women have advantages over cisgender women are also dubious at best. Laurel Hubbard, a transgender weightlifter selected to represent New Zealand, actually failed to register a lift at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, losing to all ciswomen in the process. Even though the Olympics have allowed participants who have undergone sex reassignment surgery and hormone therapy for appropriate time since 2003 , not a single transgender woman has actually gone to break a world record or even win a gold medal as many claim they eventually would.
Bullying and scrutinizing of bodies is also not something exclusive to athletes. The Class 10th topper, Prachi Nigam’s achievements were swept aside so that she could be made a subject of mockery in front of the entire world. Trying to fit into beauty standards doesn’t help either, as many women who are from the entertainment industry would say, which includes many who you think would fit into the acceptable notions of beauty.
To bring a change we have to educate ourselves and people about diverse types of bodies that appear in all genders and make everyone understand the differences that exist among ourselves.
Child Help Foundation fights for a better world for every woman. 86,895 women have benefited from Child Help Foundation’s Gender Equality Programme.
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