Bulgarian-Nigerian boxer Joana Nwamerue, a former training partner of Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif, has labeled the Algerian athlete "a man" and made the bizarre claim that Khelif has been "biologically altered" by living in the mountains.
The claim comes in the wake of the Paris Games, where both Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-Ting won Olympic gold in boxing amid intense global scrutiny regarding their gender eligibility. Both Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting participated in the Parsi Olympics 2024 as a female boxers and easing won their respective gold medals. Nwamerue recounted how, during a sparring session in February, she witnessed what she described as Khelif's "male strength and male techniques."
Bombshell Claims by Former Training Partner
"[Khelif] has some kind of internal issues. But he is a man. I will stay [by] my words until he/she does a test to prove to the world that he/she is a woman. But we all know that won't happen," Nwamerue told Reduxx, the Daily Mail reported.
"I think we played 3-4 sparring sessions. I have a record of everything. I can confirm that this is a man to me. Male power. Men's techniques, everything," she added.
Nwamerue said that Khelif's coaching team told her that Khelif had been "biologically altered" by living in the mountainous regions of Algeria.
Nwamerue said: "[Khelif's] teammates came to me and told me 'Imane is not a man.' She is a woman and just lives high in the mountains with her relatives and parents and so there may be a change in her testosterone or chromosomes and the like."
Khelif was born female and is not transgender. However, she was banned last year after medical tests conducted by the International Boxing Association (IBA) revealed elevated testosterone levels in her system.
Although Khelif had previously competed without any issues, she was disqualified by the sport's governing body only after beating Russian boxer Azalia Amineva in the 2023 tournament.
The IBA, led by Russian official Umar Kremlev, is heavily influenced by Russia, with state-owned energy company Gazprom as its main sponsor, and much of the organization's operations have been moved to Russia.
Controversy Over Gender Continues
The bombshell claims by Nwamerue come just a day after Khelif's coach, Georges Cazorla, confirmed that the tests revealed "a hormonal issue" as well as "a problem with chromosomes," indicating that she might have XY chromosomes, which are typically associated with males.
"This poor young girl was devastated, devastated to suddenly discover that she might not be a girl," he told French magazine Le Point.
The controversy surrounding Khelif's participation in the Games was not unnoticed by the athlete. She got emotional, shedding tears after her quarterfinal victory, and responded to her critics once the gold medal was placed around her neck.
"For eight years, this has been my dream, and I'm now the Olympic champion and gold medalist," Khelif said Friday.
"That also gives my success a special taste because of those attacks. We are in the Olympics to perform as athletes, and I hope that we will not see any similar attacks in future Olympics.
"I am fully qualified to take part in this competition. I'm a woman like any other woman. I was born as a woman, I live as a woman, and I am qualified."
Khelif received a hero's welcome in Algeria on Monday as she returned from France with her gold medal. Hundreds of fans gathered at Houari Boumediene Airport in Algiers to celebrate her victory.
