Boxer Imane Khelif is no longer allowed to compete in the women's category – in Algeria she remains a heroine

A few days ago, the World Boxing Federation announced that Algerian boxer Imane Khelif would no longer be allowed to compete in women's competitions until she had completed a genetic gender test. Subsequently, American journalist Alan Abrahamson of the specialist portal "3 Wire Sports" published an allegedly leaked medical document from 2023. It states that chromosomal analysis revealed Khelif to have a male karyotype.

Prominent critics like Piers Morgan and JK Rowling feel vindicated. "The biology-denying woke brigade abused and shamed me for saying it was outrageous and dangerous for Khelif to beat up women at the Olympics," Morgan posted on X. "I'm ready for their apology, but I'm not holding my breath."

Imane Khelif won a gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games and is celebrated as a national hero in her native Algeria. When doubts arose as to whether her biological characteristics allowed her to compete in the women's event, this caused widespread outrage in Algeria, and the allegations were perceived as an attack on the country.

Anyone who believes this support for Khelif represents social progress in Algeria is mistaken. The boxer isn't being defended so vehemently because people there believe in overcoming the categories of "man" and "woman." Quite the opposite: The country arrests homosexuals and clings to the idea that there is a clear, essential difference between men and women: biological, social, and even legal. Unlike in Europe, where people argue about biological versus perceived gender, this isn't a debate in Algeria. The idea that gender is changeable or selectable isn't simply controversial there; it's unthinkable.

So why this solidarity with Khelif? Quite simply: because Algeria is suffering from massive nationalist madness. The main thing is that someone from their own country brings in gold. Even more important: the criticism of Khelif's gender came from outside, from "enemy" territory; that alone is enough to trigger a national solidarity. Absurd theories are circulating on social media, claiming that the controversy was orchestrated by Morocco and its alleged "Zionist friends." It's about defensiveness, pride, anti-Western reflexes, and not about defending a woman. If Khelif had openly come out as a lesbian or queer person, the state would persecute her.

Imane Khelif is caught between three fronts: one that includes JK Rowling, who defends women's sports and asserts biological realities against ideological distortions; the other, a relative majority of the LGBTQ movement, which wants to transcend traditional gender categories; and a narcissistic homeland that sees her not as an athlete, but as the triumph of the nation.

Imane Khelif has become a pawn in a major cultural war. One can feel sorry for her: she is by no means an untalented athlete seeking fame and success through gender reassignment. Quite the opposite. Khelif is a person who was socialized in a patriarchal society, as a woman, with all the disadvantages that this entails in Algeria. For her, boxing was an escape from social narrow-mindedness and male paternalism, not a place of ideology.

While international and Arab media are teeming with reports about the alleged revelations concerning Imane Khelif, Algerian newspapers remain silent as of press time. The Algerian Boxing Union has also not issued a statement. The website of the official Algerian press service contains a communiqué dated March 6, 2025, stating that "Algerian Olympic champion Imane Khelif will begin her training camp at the Aspire Academy in Doha" for the 2025 Women's Boxing World Championship.