In a defiant move that escalates one of the most contentious chapters in Olympic history, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif announced today that she will sue the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for “gender discrimination and defamation of character.”
The legal bombshell comes just weeks after the IOC and World Boxing jointly banned Khelif from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and ordered her to return the gold medal she won in the women’s 66kg category at the 2024 Paris Games. Khelif, who has maintained throughout the saga that she is a woman born and raised as such, framed the lawsuit as a stand against “unjust persecution” that has tarnished her legacy and mental health.
Speaking from Algiers in an emotional press conference flanked by her legal team and representatives from the Algerian Olympic Committee, Khelif declared, “They stripped me of my medal, my dreams, and my dignity. But they cannot strip me of the truth. I am a woman, a fighter, and I will fight this in the courts just as I fought in the ring.
The IOC’s actions are not about fairness—they are discrimination, pure and simple.” Her voice cracking with resolve, she added that the ordeal has left her “broken but unbreakable,” vowing to donate any potential settlement to women’s sports programs in Algeria
The announcement follows a whirlwind of events that began with Khelif’s triumphant Paris victory last summer. Her bout against Italy’s Angela Carini, which ended after just 46 seconds with Carini forfeiting amid tears and visible injuries, ignited global fury.
Critics, including author J.K. Rowling and swimmer Riley Gaines, accused the IOC of endangering female athletes by allowing what they claimed was a biological male to compete in women’s boxing. The firestorm intensified when leaked medical reports from the International Boxing Association (IBA)—which had disqualified Khelif from the 2023 World Championships for failing gender eligibility tests—revealed a 46,XY karyotype, internal testes, and male-range testosterone levels.
Despite the IBA’s warnings, the IOC cleared Khelif under its 2021 framework emphasizing “inclusion and non-discrimination,” prioritizing passport gender over genetic testing. But post-Paris backlash, including lawsuits from affected athletes and congressional inquiries in the U.S., forced a policy U-turn.
In September 2025, World Boxing—now the IOC-recognized governing body after the IBA’s ousting—implemented mandatory PCR testing for the SRY gene, barring athletes with male biology from women’s events. Khelif’s tests confirmed the IBA’s earlier findings, leading to the medal forfeiture order and a lifetime ban from female categories. The gold is set to be re-awarded to China’s Yang Liu, who finished second.
Khelif’s lawsuit, filed preliminarily with CAS in Lausanne, Switzerland, seeks not only reinstatement for 2028 but also damages exceeding $10 million for emotional distress, lost endorsements, and reputational harm.
Her attorneys argue that the IOC’s initial clearance followed by reversal constitutes “arbitrary discrimination,” violating the Olympic Charter’s principles of equality. “The IOC played both sides—welcoming her when it suited their narrative, then discarding her under pressure,” said lead counsel Fatima Zahra Benali. “This isn’t science; it’s scapegoating a woman from the Global South to appease Western conservatives.”
The case draws parallels to Khelif’s ongoing legal battles. In November 2024, she sued French magazine Le Correspondant for publishing unverified medical leaks, a complaint the IOC supported as “cyber harassment.”
By February 2025, amid the IBA’s own lawsuits against the IOC for allowing her to compete—citing safety risks and even invoking a U.S. executive order on transgender athletes—Khelif fired back with defamation claims against the IBA. “False and offensive accusations,” she called them then, mirroring her rhetoric today. French authorities are investigating her cyberbullying suit naming high-profile figures like Elon Musk and Piers Morgan for online vitriol.
At its core, the dispute hinges on Differences of Sex Development (DSD), a condition affecting about 1 in 20,000 births where chromosomal or anatomical variations occur. Khelif, like Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting (who faces a similar medal review), was assigned female at birth and raised in Algeria’s conservative society, where transgender identity is criminalized.
Yet genetic evidence shows XY chromosomes and functional testes producing testosterone at levels 10 times the female average—granting, per studies in the Journal of Medical Genetics, a 30-50% edge in strength and power.
Dr. Emma Hilton, a sports biologist advocating for sex-based categories, praised the ban: “This isn’t discrimination; it’s biology. Women’s sports exist to ensure fair play, not to accommodate rare variances that mimic male advantages.” Conversely, Dr. Katrina Karkazis, a bioethicist at Columbia University, calls the testing “invasive and discriminatory,” arguing it pathologizes natural diversity. “Imane is a woman by every social and legal metric. Punishing her reinforces colonial attitudes toward non-Western bodies.”
| Key Elements of Khelif’s Lawsuit | Claims | Potential Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
| Gender Discrimination | IOC reversal violates equality principles | Reinstatement to women’s events |
| Defamation of Character | Public statements implying fraud | $10M+ damages; public apology |
| Emotional Distress | Impact from harassment and ban | Compensation for therapy/endorsements |
| Procedural Unfairness | No due process in testing | Medal restoration pending appeal |
The news has polarized the sports world anew. Supporters like Martina Navratilova tweeted, “Good—let the courts affirm what science already knows. Fairness for women isn’t optional.” Riley Gaines, whose advocacy group Save Women’s Sports funded anti-Khelif campaigns, added, “She’s suing for the right to punch women? This is peak entitlement.”
LGBTQ+ organizations, including GLAAD, rallied behind Khelif: “This is transphobia by proxy. The IOC must drop the ban or face global boycott calls.” Algeria’s government, already threatening diplomatic repercussions, pledged full support, with President Tebboune labeling it “neo-colonialism in sports.”
The IOC responded cautiously: “We respect Imane’s right to appeal but stand by our commitment to safe, fair competition. The decision was evidence-based.” World Boxing’s Boris van der Vorst, who apologized to Algeria for privacy breaches in earlier tests, reiterated, “Biology protects the ring.”
Khelif’s suit could redefine Olympic eligibility. CAS rulings have historically favored inclusion—recall Caster Semenya’s 2019 loss on hyperandrogenism rules—but recent shifts, like World Athletics’ 2023 chromosome bans, signal a conservative turn. With 2028 qualifiers starting soon, a prolonged case might delay boxing’s Olympic status altogether.
For Khelif, now 27, time is ticking. “I’ve faced poverty, doubt, and now this,” she said. “But every punch taught me resilience. I’ll win this fight too.” Whether in the ring or courtroom, her story spotlights the clash between identity, science, and equity—a battle far from over.
As the world watches, one truth emerges: In the quest for fairness, no one emerges unscathed.
