Docs show Khelif was assigned female at birth, according to IOC.

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif is embroiled in a controversy regarding her gender and sex after Italian boxer Angela Carini abandoned their Olympics bout on Thursday after 46 seconds.

Shortly after the match, incorrect stories circulated claiming that Khelif is a transgender woman; however, she is not and was assigned female at birth, according to the IOC.

“The Algerian boxer was born female, registered female, lived her life as a female, and has a female passport,” the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stated at a press conference on Friday.

The Algerian Olympic and Sports Committee (COA) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have expressed concern over the misunderstanding surrounding Khelif’s gender and sex.

The COA condemned what it called “malicious” and “unethical” attacks on Khelif.

“These attempts at defamation, based on lies, are totally unfair, especially at a crucial time when she is preparing for the Olympic Games, the peak of her career,” according to a translated statement from the COA.

Her disqualification from the International Boxing Association’s (IBA) 2023 Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi has sparked controversy about her participation in Paris.