J.K. Rowling, Piers Morgan slam ‘woke brigade,’ call for cancellation of controversial boxer

Article content
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.
J.K. Rowling is leading the charge, calling for Olympic boxer Imane Khelif to be stripped of a gold medal after a leaked report revealed the controversial champion has “male” chromosomes.
The medical test on Khelif from the 2023 World Championships comes less than two days after World Boxing ruled the boxer would need to undergo sex screening to be eligible for any future appearances in female events.
Last year, the 26-year-old represented Algeria and won gold at the Paris Olympic Games.
Rowling, who has long criticized biological males competing in women’s sports, took to X to call the news “a win for women because they won’t be battered to death in the ring by men.”
She responded to a post by someone who suggested the testing was a violation against Khelif.
“If you had any idea what physical tests women go through routinely in their lives you’d know a cheek swab is no bigger deal than flossing your teeth,” the Harry Potter creator wrote. “Any more moronic questions, wing them over.”
Former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines, who competed against trans athlete Lia Thomas, agreed.
“A cheek swab is far from invasive — certainly less invasive than having your brain prodded through your nose like they did with COVID tests, and definitely less invasive than being punched in the face by a man.” she wrote on X.
The women’s sports advocate added in another post: “To all the people that insisted Imane Khelif was a woman because his passport said so, you were wrong. We were right. Sincerely, People with functioning eyes and a shred of honesty.”
TV personality Piers Morgan also confronted haters he encountered for previously calling out Khelif.
“The biology-denying woke brigade abused and shamed me for saying it was outrageous and dangerous for Khelif to be beating up women at the Olympics,” he posted on X.
“I’m ready for their apology, but won’t hold my breath.”
Khelif was deemed eligible to compete in France despite World Boxing having previous knowledge of the 2023 test, with IOC president Thomas Bach questioning the test’s legitimacy earlier this year.
The document, which was first reported by 3 Wire Sports, summarized the findings on Khelif as “abnormal,” stating, “Chromosome analysis reveals male karyotype.”
A karyotype refers to an individual’s complete set of chromosomes, with Khelif’s having been reported by the International Boxing Association (IBA) as XY, the male pattern.
This latest revelation contradicts the claims of IOC spokesperson Mark Adams, who had described the results as “ad hoc” and “not legitimate” during last year’s Games.
RECOMMENDED VIDEO
The president of World Boxing has apologized after Khelif was singled out in the governing body’s announcement to make sex testing mandatory.
Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting also won a gold medal in women’s boxing, despite having been banned by the IBA in 2023.
Khelif has not yet issued a public comment on the leaked medical report.
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.