Imane Khelif takes legal action as Olympics boxing gender row takes new turn

Criticism implicit Imane Khelif's inclusion successful the Olympics began aft hostile Angela Carini discontinue their combat 46 seconds into the bout - but the Algerian boxer insisted she was calved a pistillate aft winning a golden medal

Olympic boxing prima Imane Khelif is reportedly taking ineligible enactment aft reports circulated making notation to leaked aesculapian documents.

The Algerian combatant came nether occurrence astatine the Paris Olympics this summertime for being allowed to vie successful the women's welterweight class aft unfounded claims she was antecedently a antheral - with Khelif insisting she was calved a pistillate and that she was afloat qualified to instrumentality part.

Criticism implicit Khelif's inclusion successful the Olympics began aft her hostile Angela Carini discontinue their combat aft receiving conscionable 1 punch 46 seconds into the bout, claiming she had ne'er felt powerfulness similar it successful her career.

Khelif went connected to triumph golden successful her category, but that has not stopped speculation questioning her sex - with the combatant hitting backmost astatine "cruel" reports.

Now she is preparing to instrumentality ineligible action, according to the Telegraph, aft reports successful France made notation to alleged aesculapian files, with the IOC claiming they were "unverified" and its "origin cannot beryllium confirmed".

An IOC connection said: "We recognize that Imane Khelif has taken ineligible enactment against individuals who commented connected her concern during the Olympic Games Paris 2024, and is besides preparing a suit successful effect to the latest reporting.

"The IOC volition not remark portion ineligible enactment is ongoing, oregon connected media reports astir unverified documents whose root cannot beryllium confirmed.

"Imane Khelif has been competing successful the women’s class successful planetary boxing competitions for galore years, including the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, International Boxing Association World Championships and IBA-sanctioned tournaments."

The organisation added: "The IOC is committed to protecting the quality rights of each athletes who person taken portion successful the Olympic Games. The IOC is saddened by the maltreatment that Imane Khelif is presently receiving."

After winning her golden medal, Khelif said she was unmoved by her critics - calling them "enemies of success" and said it gave her triumph a "special taste".

"As for whether I suffice oregon not, whether I americium a pistillate oregon not, I person made galore statements successful the media,” she said. "I americium afloat qualified to instrumentality portion successful this competition.

"I’m a pistillate similar immoderate different woman. I was calved a woman, I lived a woman, I competed arsenic a woman, there’s nary uncertainty astir that. [The detractors] are enemies of success, that is what I telephone them. And that besides gives my occurrence a peculiar sensation due to the fact that of these attacks."