Olympic boxer Imane Khelif (L) has denied transgender allegations by President Trump (R)
Algerian boxer, Imane Khelif has refuted allegations of being a transgender athlete while responding to comments made by United States President Donald Trump.
During the 2024 Olympics in Paris, controversy emerged when Khelif was accused of being a “male boxer” who had later transitioned. The president subsequently joined calls for a ban on transgender athletes.
In 2025, upon assuming office, Trump signed an executive order titled “Keep Men Out of Women’s Sports” to bar such athletes from competing.
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Reacting to the criticisms, Khelif rejected President Trump’s claims, emphasising that she was born a woman and continues to be so.
Speaking about Trump’s comments, Khelif said she looks forward to the 2028 Olympics, which will be hosted in the US, and hopes to receive a medal from the president.
“I respect everyone, and I respect Trump because he’s the president of the United States. Trump cannot distort the truth. I’m not trans, I’m a girl. I was raised as a girl, I grew up as a girl, and people in my village have always known me as a girl
“I respect him if he respects the truth. If I could say something to him? Mr President, I’m a girl, a young Arab Muslim woman, a boxer. And I’m working so you can come and give me a medal on the podium in Los Angeles.”
The Olympics are set to ban all transgender athletes, but debate continues regarding athletes with reported biological conditions, such as Khelif, whose eligibility will be determined by testing.
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