Algerian boxer. Imane Khelif This became known this summer during the celebrations of the Olympic Games in Paris. He could be in the news simply because he won gold in his category. This was reason enough. But it also came about due to a controversy in which he was accused of being a man and therefore unable to compete in the women’s category. All these accusations from his ill-wishers were rejected International Olympic Committee (IOC)which finally allowed her to compete and win this medal. There were people who didn’t like it. One of them was a French journalist Jaffar Ait Audia, who recently just released a medical report that allegedly states that Khelif has XY chromosomes and internal testicles.
The reason, according to this journalist, is that he suffers from a disease known as 5-alpha reductase deficiency. This disease occurs only in biological malestherefore, the incorrect categorization of Imane Khelif would be obvious. Additionally, the report that Audia mentioned talks about some additional tests that showed that she has sufficient characteristics to be classified as a male. How true is this? Should this Olympian return his medal?
For this to happen, it will take much more than what this French journalist presented. But anyway, let’s see what the facts were.
Private report by Imane Khelif
Audi broke the news about Iman Khelif in an article published in French media. Le Correspondent. In this publication he provides some details private medical opinion which he claims to have access to. Also share photos. In the widest one you can see two paragraphs written on a computer that anyone could write. The seal piece is also recognized, but its authenticity cannot be guaranteed.
We’re not saying it’s unrealistic. But what is certain is that if this report is not published or verified, cannot be considered scientifically based take action. The fact is that this is still a private medical report, so the journalist should not have had access to it.
Boy or girl?
It is often said that at the beginning of development, all human embryos are female. This inaccurate simplificationbut it may help us understand how the two biological sexes develop.
First, all mammalian embryos share a common structure known as the urogenital ridge. This will develop in one direction or another depending on the sex chromosomes, which can be XX in women and XY in men.
The Y chromosome contains a gene called FRY, which encodes a protein essential for testicular development. When this gene is expressed, another gene is activated that causes the cells needed to form cells to come together. male gonads. If this does not happen, development moves to the female genitalia. Thus, it is not true that all embryos start out female, but it is true that without the influence of the Y chromosome they would all eventually evolve toward the male sex. female genital organs.
In any case, the SRY gene is not the only fragment required for testicular formation. For their full development, the action of a hormone known as dihydrotestosterone. This occurs due to a decrease in testosterone levels mediated by the enzyme 5-alpha reductase. It’s already taking shape, right?
If a person is deficient in this enzyme, they are unlikely to have dihydrotestosterone, so the testicles will not form correctly. Normally, they remain small and do not extend beyond the body. As for the penis, it also does not develop, but remains small, like the clitoris. For this reason, when a child is born with this deficiency, She usually identifies as a girl.
What is the gender of Imane Khelif?
Publicly, the only recourse we have to determine Imane Khelif’s gender is a newspaper article in which the journalist’s disrespect for her is clearly visible. There is no evidence that the report, supposedly written in 2023, exists. But let’s assume this. What does that make a boxer?
Well apparently the report says that MRI determined that he did not have a uterus and had internal testes, and a karyotype showed that he had XY chromosomes. This will indicate, at a minimum, a disorder of sexual development. Something that was already mentioned during the Olympic Games.
5-alpha reductase deficiency is classified as a condition known as intersex. That is, people suffering from it have traits that cannot be classified into either of the two aspects of the binary identity of man or woman. For example, he does not have external testicles, which is what all men should have if we adhere to the principle biological sex.
There is no Olympic category. intersex people. Perhaps if Imane Khelif wanted to compete as a man, there would be people who would criticize her. Since he was born a girl, he was raised as a girl and lacks important factors such as external testicles. Moreover, although he has high levels of testosterone in his blood, he cannot produce dihydrotestosterone, a much more powerful androgen that can bind to other hormones. androgen receptors three times more than testosterone. This will put her at a disadvantage compared to her peers.
If a swimmer has particularly long arms, which gives him an advantage over his peers, there is no doubt that he is competing due to advantageous genetics. Why was Imane Khelif killed?
This new news, the content of which cannot even be certain, does not contain anything new. The IOC decided to allow her to compete because it was determined that there was no genetic advantage that made her overwhelmingly superior. In fact, it was his first gold medal. He lost to many women. If his advantage had been so great, this would not have happened. Photos of a supposed private report written on a computer won’t change anything.
Source: Hiper Textual
