Mark Adams, the official spokesperson for the International Olympic Committee (IOC), has strongly defended Algerian boxer Iman Khelif against aggressive campaigns targeting her.
During a press conference following Khelif’s victory over Italian competitor Angela Carini, Adams stated: “The Algerian boxer was born female, registered as female, lived her life as a female, and boxed as a female. She even has a female passport. This is not a transgender case.”
Continuing his defense of Khelif, the IOC spokesperson added: “There are many women who naturally have higher testosterone levels than some men, so the idea that a testosterone test is a magical solution is simply not true.”
Adams emphasized that athletes with higher testosterone levels are still women.
He elaborated: “According to eligibility criteria, their passports, and their history, the answer is yes. A test that may have been conducted overnight was fabricated and new. We shouldn’t give it any credence at all.”
Adams concluded by saying: “If we begin acting on every suspicion, we risk moving towards a gender testing regime, which benefits no one.”
