I contacted World Boxing, I sent them my medical record, my hormonal tests, everything. We all have different genetics, all different hormone levels. "They should protect women, but they need to pay attention that while protecting women, they shouldn’t hurt other women." Khelif told CNN she will undergo testing to allow her to defend her Olympic title, provided its conducted by the International Olympics Committee (IOC). This essentially means that physical fighting will have no impact on your testosterone levels but people with higher testosterone levels are more likely to engage in physical fights. Having a physically demanding sport like boxing that requires extreme discipline is good for many people with high testosterone. Just because someone, for instance, a boxer, has high levels of testosterone doesn’t make them inherently more violent outside of the ring. Many fighters choose to abstain from sex before boxing matches in an attempt to build testosterone and aggression. I just think that the nature of the sport means that those who exhibit characteristics of high testosterone males will be more likely to pursue a career in combat sports. There is plenty of data that proves males who are overweight or obese have significantly lower testosterone levels than those men who maintain a healthy weight. However, there is a plethora of data that clearly proves that exercise and a balanced lifestyle are beneficial for testosterone levels. She went to the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 as one of Algeria’s first Olympic boxers and while she won her opening bout, she lost her second. Almost immediately, journalists and commentators jumped to Carini’s defence, raising questions about International Olympic Committee (IOC) policies and making many false assertions about Khelif’s gender identity. Khelif fights Tuesday night at Roland Garros, which is converting one of its arenas to a boxing venue with tennis concluded. Nearly two hours into Monday’s news conference, most of the reporters present relocated toward the back of the room, where another Algerian boxer, Roumaysa Boualam, spoke in support of Khelif, her friend. The governing body has revealed little about the nature of the tests, including what was tested and who tested it. Khelif reached the final of the 2023 world championships before she was abruptly disqualified by the IBA, which cited high levels of testosterone in her system. Khelif was one of Algeria's first three Olympic women's boxers sent to Tokyo three years ago. The IBA is controlled by Umar Kremlev, who is Russian and brought in the state-owned energy supplier Gazprom as its primary sponsor and moved much of the governing body's operations to Russia. Her father initially didn't approve of girls participating in boxing, but Khelif said she gave up soccer as a teenager to pursue her new passion, even though she had to travel 10 kilometers each way to the gym. The reality, to those who actually watch or participate in Olympic-style boxing, is quite different. I am still boxing," she told CNN. "Boxing does not rely on the level of testosterone. Khelif insisted to CNN that she is female. Regarding gender eligibility in elite sports, women from the global south are over-represented in cases where the gender of female athletes is questioned. Ugly issues of gender identity, gender testing and testosterone levels once again raised their head in elite women’s sport. While athletics, swimming, cycling and rowing have brought in bans, many others allowed transgender women to compete in female competition if they lowered their testosterone levels. A contentious fight over who should—and shouldn’t—be allowed to compete in women’s sports has materialized during the Paris Olympics amid criticism over the participation of Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who was disqualified from last year’s World Boxing Championships over a controversial gender eligibility test. However, there is no concrete evidence that suggests competitive boxing or combat sports will have an impact on testosterone levels in general. They also say this method is more humane than requiring transgender or DSD athletes to suppress their natural testosterone levels, and will avoid the intense media scrutiny that some athletes have been subjected to.
