The Paris Olympics 2024 controversial gold medallist Algerian boxer, Imane Khelif, is at the epicentre of yet another gender controversy.  

Recently, a leaked medical report published by Reduxx and accessed by Djaffar Ait Aoudia, a French journalist, disclosed that the boxer allegedly has ‘internal testicles’ as well as XY chromosomes. This denotes a disease called 5-alpha reductase.

Khelif competed in the 66 kg women’s boxing category but is yet again facing a controversy following a leaked report of her eligibility status. The reports were drafted in June of 2023 via two different hospitals between the Kremlin-Bicêtre Hospital in Paris, France, and the Mohamed Lamine Debaghine Hospital in Algiers, Algeria.

The reports, including a MRI and other tests, suggested that Khelif is diagnosed with 5-alpha reductase, a disorder of sexual development. Reportedly, the MRI showed that the Algerian didn’t have a uterus but rather had internal testicals and also had a 'micropenis’ which resembled an enlarged clitoris.

Khelif's medical report advised "surgical correction and hormone therapy" to align their gender identity with biological identity.

5-alpha reductase deficiency is a genetic condition. This affects the sexual development of the genetically male individual during birth as well as puberty. Individuals with this condition may be assigned female at birth due to ambiguous genitalia. At puberty, they often experience masculinisation, including increased muscle mass, body hair, and limited breast development.

 In 2023, the International Boxing Association (IBA) barred Khelif from competing in the World Championship gold medal match in New Delhi.