THE VIRAL POST IS BASED ON TEXT FULL OF INVENTED STATEMENTS AND POSTED ON A VIETNAM-BASED WEBSITE
What they share: that Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, gold medalist at the Paris 2024 Olympics, has been banned “forever” from sports competitions, stripped of titles – including her Olympic medal – and a prize of 25 million dollars after the medical tests had shown that she would be a man.
Estadão Verifica investigated and concluded that: it’s false. A post that has gone viral on Facebook is based on a text with trumped-up charges, published on a purported Vietnam-based news site. The publication creates statements and attributes them to the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, Imane Khelif herself, and fictional characters. No news could be found that the Algerian boxer had lost any titles or prize money. In a statement, the IOC said there was “absolutely no truth to these allegations.”
Find out more: Imane Khelif is a 25 year old Algerian boxer. He won the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the 66 kg category. Her participation in the competition began to generate controversy in her first match, when she defeated Italian Angela Carini. The opponent withdrew from the dispute 46 seconds into the fight.
After the fight it emerged that the International Boxing Association (IBA) had decided to ban Khelif from its competitions because he had allegedly failed a “gender test”. The president of the Association, Russian Umar Kremelev, said he had XY chromosomes. He did not say what test was performed and did not present the alleged result.
Imane met the International Olympic Committee (IOC) requirements to compete in the Olympics. The IOC did not rely on the IBA organization due to suspicions regarding governance, ethical and financial issues. During the games, Imane was the target of a frequent misinformation and hate campaign claiming she was a man.
An alleged medical report was released stating that Imane Khelif was male. THE Status Check verified its content and demonstrated that the document is not capable of reaching this conclusion. The doctor cited in the report denied authorship to the press. An IOC spokesperson has already said this to the British newspaper The Guardian that the boxer is preparing legal action against the site that published the news. The IOC has taken action against the recent reports.
The statement attributed to the IOC president is false
There is no news or public record that IOC President Thomas Bach said that Imane Khelif “does not meet the requirements to compete in the women’s category,” as the verified post falsely claims. The only time Bach made a public statement on the subject, he defended the participation of Imane and Taiwanese Lin Yu-ting, also targets of disinformation, in the Olympic Games (check below).
“Let’s be very clear here. We’re talking about women’s boxing. And we have two boxers who were born women, who were raised as women, who have a passport as women and who have competed for many years as women. And that’s the clear definition of There has never been any doubt that they are women. What we are seeing now is that some want to take responsibility for the definition of who a woman is and I can only invite them to invent a new, scientifically based definition, who a woman is. and how. Can anyone who was born, raised, competed and has a passport as a woman, cannot be considered a woman?” Bach said.
The video of the statement is available on the USA Today channel:
No documentation was found proving that Imane made the statements mentioned in the controlled post.
Imane Khelif did not lose any titles or prize money of 25 million dollars
It is also false that the Algerian boxer was banned from the sport, losing the titles won in her career, the Olympic medal and a prize of 25 million dollars. The text investigated is wrong in saying that the athlete would have lost the gold medal won in Tokyo (Japan), and not the one in Paris (France). In reality Khelif came 5th in his category at the 2020 Tokyo Games, held in 2021 due to the pandemic, and did not win any medals. Gold was won in Paris.
In October this year, the World Boxing Organization (WBO) denied rumors that it would ban the athlete. “The report that the WBO has banned Khelif is obviously false. We have had no communication with Khelif. We congratulate her and wish her good luck in all her future endeavors,” said the organization’s legal advisor, Gustavo Olivieri . He denied losing the medal: “He worked hard to win that medal,” he added.
This year, the expected prize for the gold medal holder in the Khelif category was $50,000. After Italian Angela Carini abandoned the fight against Khelif after 46 seconds, the IBA president announced that he would award her the Olympic champion award.
What we have already verified on the subject The Algerian fighter is the target of a disinformation campaign on the networks; understand the case
Target of misinformation, female boxers belong to different categories and will not compete with each other for gold
The report does not indicate that Imane Khelif is male; the doctor denied any responsibility to the press
The post contains stories about characters who don’t exist
The text contains statements from alleged people who intervened in defense of the Algerian boxer, but they are fictitious. No documentation has been found proving the existence of a sports commentator named Rachel Adams. The closest thing to this is a US volleyball athlete named Rachael Adams. He has not commented on the case of Imane Khelif.
There is a “leading academic in gender and sport studies” named Susan Harrington. The only doctor found with this name is from the Clinical Pathology department of the Cleveland Clinic. It was not possible to find any of your positions regarding Imane’s case.
Also missing was a transgender athlete who advocates for inclusion in sports named Lena Sanchez. The only athlete with this name is an American bodybuilder. There is no indication that she is a transgender woman or that she has spoken openly about the case.
Although the verified content was published on December 3, a similar allegation was debunked in September this year Observerfrom Portugal.
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
