Controversial Olympic boxer Imane Khelif responded with a terse message on Monday as the new International Olympic Committee (IOC) President, Kirsty Coventry, called for protecting the women’s category to ensure fairness. Khelif, who faced scrutiny about her eligibility to compete in the women’s division during the 2024 Paris Olympics, posted a quote attributed to Winston Churchill on her Instagram Stories.
Coventry emphasized the need for a scientific approach to address concerns in women’s sports amid ongoing debates about transgender athletes. She stated that the IOC has overwhelming support to take action to protect the female category, emphasizing the importance of fairness. Her comments came after the IOC convened to discuss policies regarding the inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s sports, a topic that has sparked widespread debate in recent years.
Coventry highlighted the need to collaborate with international federations that have already conducted extensive research on this issue. She proposed that the IOC may draw inspiration from the World Athletics policy, which prohibits biological males from competing in women’s sports if they have undergone male puberty. However, she also clarified that any changes likely wouldn’t result in retroactively altering the results of past competitions.
Khelif’s gold medal from the 2024 Paris Olympics is expected to remain unaffected by recent medical reports that rekindled the gender controversy surrounding her. The boxer’s response, echoing Churchill’s words, underscores her determination to continue competing despite the scrutiny.