A shocking new development emerged in the case of the Algerian boxer, Iman Khalif, after a French journalist was able to access a medical report revealing that Khalif had “testicles,” months after the latter won a gold medal in women’s boxing at the Paris Olympics.
The report, drafted by endocrinology experts Somaya Fadala and Jack Young, in June 2023 in cooperation between the Kremlin Bicetre Hospital in Paris, France, and the Mohamed Lamine Debaghine Hospital in Algiers, revealed that Khalif is affected by a deficiency of the enzyme 5-alpha reductase, which is a disorder of sexual development. It is only found in biological males.
The genetic abnormality affects the normal development of a child’s sexual organs at birth. Male children affected by 5 alpha are often incorrectly classified as female due to the presence of deformed reproductive organs that sometimes take on the appearance of a “blind vaginal pouch.”
According to the same medical report, this disturbed development usually becomes clear at puberty, when adolescents with 5 alpha begin to experience signs of masculinity such as muscle growth, hair growth, and the absence of breast tissue growth or menstruation, adding that without access to appropriate clinical examination, males may believe Those who have 5 alpha mistakenly believe they are female in adulthood.
At the end of October, French journalist Jaafar Ait Oudiyya obtained a copy of the comprehensive physical examination conducted on Khalif in order to verify the presence of a disorder in sexual development.
According to Odeh, the clinical report reveals that an MRI showed that Khalif did not have a uterus, but instead had internal testicles and a “small penis” that resembled an enlarged clitoris.
Chromosomal testing also confirmed that Khalif has an XY karyotype, while hormone testing found that Khalif has a typical male testosterone level.
Oudiyah also noted that doctors suggested that Khalif’s parents may have been blood relatives.
The report concludes by recommending that Khalif be referred for “surgical correction and hormonal therapy,” to help him physically adapt to his self-perceived gender identity, and adds that psychological support will be required because the results have caused “a very significant neuropsychological impact.”
This report coincides with a previous admission by Khalifa’s coach, George Cazorla, that the Algerian boxer underwent evaluation at the Kremlin Hospital in Bicester after being excluded from women’s boxing by the International Boxing Association (IBA) in March of 2023.
In an interview in August, Cazorla half-heartedly admitted that endocrinologists had identified “a problem with Khalif’s chromosomes” at the time, and despite this fact, Cazorla insisted that Khalif should still be allowed to compete against females.
Cazorla also stated that Khalif has been placed on testosterone inhibitors after a medical evaluation for 2023. However, the IOC has not subjected athletes to chromosomal testing since 1999, and at the Paris Olympics, the only requirement for participation in women’s boxing was to have a female gender marker on their Legal documents.
