EDITORIAL: A gold medal win for women

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The bizarre tale of Olympic boxer Imane Khelif underscores the desperate need for elite sport bodies to establish clear standards on who can compete as a woman. 

There was an uproar in last summer’s Olympic Games when it was revealed that Khelif was competing as a woman, even though there were rumours that a 2023 medical report from the World Championships showed the boxer had male chromosomes. This week, that report was leaked and the rumours were confirmed. 

In the Olympic welterweight bout, Khelif took on Italian Angela Carini. The match lasted 46 seconds. Carini took two powerful blows to the head. One dislodged her chinstrap; the second smashed her face. She withdrew from the match, saying, “this is unjust.” 

The International Olympic Committee dismissed claims it was unfair, pointing out Khelif identified as a woman on her passport. 

Those who suggested it’s not just unfair but dangerous for a man to take on a woman in boxing, a sport in which physical power is a determining force, were ridiculed and labelled homophobic. 

People like Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and media personality Piers Morgan were subjected to a bitter campaign of cancel culture for stating the obvious: That men don’t belong in women’s sport. 

This week, Rowling took to X to acknowledge the leak of the 2023 medical report that confirmed what many had suspected. 

“A win for women because they won’t be battered to death in the ring by men,” Rowling said. 

This is not about transgenderism. Everyone has the right to live their life in the manner in which they see fit, in whatever gender they choose. 

The problem arises when the increasing number of trans women, many of whom have intact male genitalia, show up in elite sports to compete against biological women. 

World Aquatics, the body that governs swimming, has developed a sensible solution. Trans women who went through puberty as a male cannot compete with biological women but can take part in an “open” category for people of all genders. 

With the Olympics on the horizon in 2028, bodies governing elite sports must establish fair and firm rules. 

If they fail to do so, they will destroy competitive sports for biological women and turn it into a farce. And Khelif should return the gold medal.