Published 12:51 IST, November 5th 2024

'ISN’T FAIR!': Harbhajan Demands Olympics Revoke Imane Khelif's Gold Medal Amid Gender Identity Row

Harbhajan Singh calls for the revocation of Imane Khelif's Olympic gold medal amid ongoing controversy regarding her gender identity, claiming it is unfair.

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Harbhajan Singh on Imane Khelif Row | Image: KKR, AP
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scandal involving Algerian fighter Imane Khelif has angered Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh, who has called on Olympics to remove her gold medal. He said in an X post, "Take Gold back @Olympics," " This isn't fair," Harbhajan posted, expressing his increasing dissatisfaction over headlines that called her identity into doubt. A leaked medical study revealed Khelif had XY chromosomes and internal testicles, which sparked discussions about her participation under IOC rules for athletes with DSD.

In a shocking turn of events, a leaked medical report has raised significant questions about identity of Imane Khelif, Algerian boxer who recently claimed gold in women’s boxing at 2024 Paris Olympics . document, obtained by French journalist Djaffar Ait Aoudia, indicates that Khelif has XY chromosomes and internal testicles, suggesting a condition kwn as 5-alpha reductase deficiency.

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Drafted in June 2023 by experts from Paris’s Kremlin-Bicêtre Hospital and Algiers’ Mohamed Lamine Debaghine Hospital, report details Imane Khelif's biological characteristics, including absence of a uterus and presence of internal testicles. An MRI furr ted existence of a micropenis. 

However, re is thing new to this report as it was already revealed a couple of months ago that Imane Khelif has XY chromosomes because of which she was also banned by International Boxing Association (IBA) before World Championship Gold Medal bout in New Delhi back in 2023.  

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Also Read: Major Match-Fixing Scandal In Mizoram Football: Players & Clubs Banned

Why did IOC allow Imane Khelif to participate in Paris Olympics? 

As it turns out, Imane Khelif failing her test doesn't justify wher she is a ‘biological male’ or t because she has a condition classified as DSD - Differences of Sex Development. Under this condition, a person's chromosomes are affected and ir testosterone levels are elevated. 

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Due to Imane Khelif going through DSD, her chromosomes show that of male which is why she failed tests. Khelif was born as a female and is a socially accepted female. 

IOC stripped off IBA of its recognition as a governing body due to governance and finance issues. According to IOC's discrimination rule that has been administered since Tokyo Olympics, Imane Khelif is legitimately allowed to participate. 

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12:51 IST, November 5th 2024