The recent one controversy which involved Imane Khelifboxer Algerian at the Olympics in Paris 2024, has sparked a debate on the topic ofinclusion in competitions sports feminine. The controversy emerged after the Italian Angela Carini decided to withdraw from the meeting with Khelif, and this has raised doubts about the legitimacy of his participation. Some have erroneously (let’s repeat, erroneously) claimed that Khelif was a woman transbut the available information suggests that it could be an intersex person, but it is only a hypothesis. So let’s see what intersex or intersexual means and the difference with trans woman.
Attention: the purpose of this article Not is to delve into the merits of the criteria by which the International Olympic Committee established that Imane Khelif could compete in women’s boxing, nor to deal with the complex social, regulatory and political aspects of the divisive controversy that has arisen. In this article we therefore deal only with the scientific aspect (in this case genetic) of the issue, with the aim of providing everyone with useful scientific information as a basis for building their own reasoned opinion.
The case of Imane Khelif
Imane Khelif, born in 1999, has always competed in women’s competitions and identifies herself as woman. It’s not a woman trans, Therefore she was not born biologically male. However, in 2023, it was disqualified from the Women’s World Amateur Boxing Championships due to tests carried out by the IBA (International Boxing Association) which revealed the presence of chromosomes XY (Y chromosomes are the sex chromosomes associated with the male biological sex) and high levels of testosterone (the main male hormone).
This situation led to his exclusion from the World Cup, despite the Committee Olympic International (IOC) has confirmed that the athlete has passed all the medical tests required to compete at the Olympics. This means that the standards and testosterone levels to be met to participate in the World Championships are different from those of the Olympics and the IOC does not recognize the IBA. In fact, the IOC explicitly states that:
All athletes participating in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games boxing tournament comply with the competition eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations established by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit (PBU)
As a result, Khelif may be affected by hyperandrogenisma condition that causes abnormal production of androgens (male hormones), including testosteronein the female body. Although high testosterone levels are typically associated with male characteristics, they are not the only determining factor in athletic performance. This particular characteristic of Khelif could suggest that she is a case of an intersex person, but it’s just a hypothesis.
The Meaning of Intersex and the Difference with Trans
The term “intersex“, as reported by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, refers to a series of medical conditions characterized by variations natural and innate in characteristics of sex. These variations (of a biological nature) can be in sex chromosomesin the genitalsin the hormones or in the reproductive system. Be careful, we are not talking about a disease or disorderbut of a variation of sex characteristics, and it’s a spontaneous thing. To put it simply, intersex individuals have one or more sexual characteristics (chromosomes, hormones, etc.) that don’t fit neatly into the categories of “male” or “female.” In Khelif’s case, the presence of Y chromosomes (male sex chromosomes) could make her fall into the intersex category.
In the past, intersex people were called “hermaphrodites,” but today this term is considered inappropriate, stigmatizing And scientifically inaccurateThe correct term is “Variations of Sex Characteristics” (VSC).
A trans womaninstead, is a person assigned to the male sex at birth, but who identifies and lives as a woman (therefore This is not the case with Imane Khelif). This term refers to people whose gender does not correspond to the biological sex assigned at birth, including both those who have undertaken a transition process (social, legal or medical) and those who have not. The Istituto Superiore di Sanità clarifies that all gender identities are natural and legitimate and emphasizes that “being transgender is a normal condition And it’s not a disease“.
So, in conclusion: an intersex woman is not born a man and has done nothing to acquire the characteristics. She is in fact a woman with variations in sexual characteristics, that is, she has different characteristics by nature. We conclude by saying that the term “intersex” does not indicate a sexual orientation.
