Imane Khelif, the Algerian boxer who won Olympic gold amid a gender eligibility row, is taking legal action over media reports allegedly detailing her leaked medical records, the International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday.
A report published last week in French magazine Le Correspondant claimed to have seen a medical report about the Algerian. The IOC said the report was based on “unverified documents whose origin cannot be confirmed”.
The boxer won gold in the women’s welterweight competition at this summer’s Games in Paris following a huge controversy which was sparked by the International Boxing Association saying she had previously been disqualified for failing gender eligibility criteria.
Khelif’s first opponent in Paris, the Italian fighter Angela Carini, signalled she could not continue with their bout 46 seconds in, saying she “had never felt a punch like this”. Carini later apologised and said she regretted her actions.
Khelif filed a legal complaint with the French authorities over the online abuse and harassment she was subjected to during the Games, and the IOC said on Wednesday she was now also taking action over the new reports which emerged earlier this week.
The author J.K. Rowling, US president-elect Donald Trump and X owner Elon Musk were among those to question Khelif's participation in the Games.
The IOC said it was “saddened” by the abuse Khelif had received since her appearance in Paris.
“We understand that Imane Khelif has taken legal action against individuals who commented on her situation during the Olympic Games Paris 2024, and is also preparing a lawsuit in response to the latest reporting,” an IOC spokesperson said.
“The IOC will not comment while legal action is ongoing, or on media reports about unverified documents whose origin cannot be confirmed.”
The statement pointed out Khelif had been competing in women’s boxing “for many years”, including at the previous Games in Tokyo as well as IBA-sanctioned events.
The IBA was stripped of recognition by the IOC last year over several governance failures. That meant it was the IOC which ran – and set the eligibility criteria for – the Olympic boxing tournament in Paris.
The IOC statement added: “All the athletes who participated in the boxing tournament at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 complied with the competition’s eligibility and entry regulations, together with all the applicable medical regulations enacted by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit (PBU).
“As with previous Olympic boxing competitions, the gender and age of the athletes were based on their passport details.”
The IOC said the same rules had applied during the qualification period.
The statement continued: “The IOC is committed to protecting the human rights of all athletes who have taken part in the Olympic Games as per the Olympic Charter, the IOC Code of Ethics and the IOC Strategic Framework on Human Rights. The IOC is saddened by the abuse that Imane Khelif is currently receiving.”
Khelif said after winning gold: “I am fully qualified to take part in this competition – I am a woman. I was born a woman, I’ve lived as a woman and I’ve competed as a woman. There’s no doubt that there are enemies of success and that gives my success a special taste because of these attacks.”
Algerian fans came out and backed her in large numbers in Paris, while she was given a rapturous welcome upon her return to Algeria after winning gold.
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5pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic (PA) Prestige; Dh110,000; 1,400m
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7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap; Dh70,000; 2,200m
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Lahore Qalandars 186 for 4 in 19.4 overs
(Sohail 100,Phil Salt 37 not out, Bilal Irshad 30, Josh Poysden 2-26)
bt Yorkshire Vikings 184 for 5 in 20 overs
(Jonathan Tattersall 36, Harry Brook 37, Gary Ballance 33, Adam Lyth 32, Shaheen Afridi 2-36).
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
How Beautiful this world is!
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The nine articles of the 50-Year Charter
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Match info
Manchester United 1
Fred (18')
Wolves 1
Moutinho (53')
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5
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Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
