Khelif advanced through the Olympic Games amid international scrutiny and uninformed speculation about her sex. Despite being born and raised as a woman, she found herself at the center of Western debates about gender, sex and sports after failing unspecified eligibility tests for women’s competition from the IBA in 2023.

Imane Khelif has pledged to continue fighting in the women’s category despite a decision by the International Boxing Association to file criminal complaints over the Algerian’s participation in last summer’s Paris Olympics.

Algerian gold winning boxer Imane Khelif has denounced “false and offensive” allegations after the International Boxing Association (IBA) said it will sue the International Olympic Committee over her and another female athlete’s inclusion at the Paris Olympic Games’ women’s boxing last year.