News about Caster Semenya

Imane Khelif was just a couple of months old when JK Rowling published The Prisoner of Azkaban, the third book in her Harry Potter series, in July 1999. While children across the world queued up to get their hands on copies of the latest instalment of the boy wizard's adventures, Khelif was embarking on what she would later describe as her own fairytale, one which would take her from a childhood selling scrap metal and plastic in a backwater town in rural Algerian to Olympic glory in Paris. At first glance, then, a real rags-to-riches tale and yet one which underwent an extraordinary twist this week when the 25-year-old Algerian named Rowling in a criminal complaint filed to French authorities after the world-famous author accused the boxer of being male.

Imane Khelif, the Algerian boxer who has been at the centre of a gender scandal which has dominated the Paris Olympics , has claimed gold in the women's 66kg event after beating China's Yang Liu.

Controversial gender-row boxer Imane Khelif's upcoming gold medal fight has reignited a row over the women's 800m at the Rio 2016 Olympics, in which all three medallists had high testosterone. At the time, it was known that South Africa's Caster Semenya had high testosterone levels, but it has since been confirmed that the same was the case for the gold and silver medalists. Left: Team GB's Lynsey Sharp was seen consoling her Canadian rival Melissa Bishop after the race. Right image left to right: Silver medallist Burundi's Francine Niyonsaba, gold medallist South Africa's Caster Semenya, and bronze medallist Kenya's Margaret Nyairera Wambui. Inset: Critics are now calling for all three athletes to be stripped of their Olympic medals.

Many experts now suggest she is intersex, an umbrella term for individual's who have a group of conditions where their reproductive anatomy does not match the typical definition of male or female. Those who are also intersex have come out in support of the boxer, saying 25-year-old Khelif should be allowed to compete because she is a woman.

MIKE KEEGAN IN PARIS: Seine again. Yet another session cancelled owing to issues with water quality. This time, a test run ahead of the swimming marathon was called off, a day after the mixed relay triathlon was permitted to take place. The women's event is set for Tuesday, with the men on Friday. World Triathlon say recordings of E. coli were within acceptable levels for the Monday event. More issues with water quality in the River Seine have caused further delays to triathlon events

Once the subject of her own gender controversy, South African runner Caster Semenya is speaking out in defense of Algerian boxer Imane Khelif amid a similar uproar at the 2024 Paris Olympics . 'Imane is a great boxer and people always criticize when someone is doing well, people always talk then. When [Khelif] wasn't winning, then everyone was quiet,' the two-time Olympic gold medalist Semenya told English-based website SportsBoom.com . Khelif (9-5 as a professional) comfortably won her first two fights in Paris, but the ending of her Olympic debut ignited controversy when opponent Angela Carini of Italy tearfully quit after just 46 seconds, saying she was in too much pain from Khelif's punches. Previously, Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-Ting were disqualified by the International Boxing Association in the middle of last year's world championships over what it claimed were failed eligibility tests for the women's competition.

MIKE KEEGAN, RINGSIDE AT THE NORTH PARIS ARENA: Gender row boxer Imane Khelif guaranteed herself a medal before declaring ‘I am a woman’. The Algerian welterweight, one of two athletes at the centre of an Olympics storm, scored a unanimous victory against Hungary’s Luca Anna Hamori to secure a place in the Paris 2024 semi-finals. Khelif was banned from last year’s World Championships by the Russian-led International Boxing Association after they claimed she failed a gender test but has been cleared to fight in France by Games bosses. The 25-year-old’s first fight lasted just 46 seconds when Italy’s Angela Carini quit in tears saying she feared for her life.

The father of Algerian boxer Imane Khelife says the criticism against his daughter, who sparked a row over her participation in the Paris Olympics after failing a testosterone test, is 'immoral'. Khelife has made headlines around the world and become one of the most talked-about competitors after her female opponent Angela Carini quit just 46 seconds into their bout at this summer's Games. Now Amar Khelife has rounded on the critics and said the controversy is part of 'a ploy' to stop his daughter winning a medal at the Olympics.

Those watching the Olympics reacted in fury today after a boxer who previously failed a gender test unanimously beat her opponent, as they slammed the bout as 'unfair, unsafe and wrong'. In a second gender row to grip the sport in 24 hours, two-time world champion Lin Yu-Ting went the full three rounds to beat Sitora Turdibekova, 22, and is now only one win away from a guaranteed Olympic medal. It comes a day after Algeria's Imane Khelif beat Italy's Angela Carini in a clash lasting just 46 seconds. During the fight, Carini was hit twice, suffered a suspected broken nose and barely threw a punch before telling her corner 'it's not fair' and abandoning the match. The fight was slammed by women's rights activists after the battle - with Sex Matters' Maya Forstater reacting with outraged emojis to a video of the conclusion of the bout, where a commentator quips 'job done'. Former elite marathon runner and two-time Olympian Mara Yamauchi further slated the fight as 'unfair, unsafe and wrong'.

Women's boxing is facing a new controversy as previously disqualified Lin Yu-Ting defeated her opponent in a unanimous points decision. Sitora Turdibekova, 22, went the full three rounds against Lin Yu-Ting of Taipei but lost on a unanimous decision. She refused to shake hands with her controversial opponent in a move which was being as a protest against the Taipei's involvement. Despite the fury that followed the 46-second clash between Algeria's Imane Khelif and Italy's Angela Carini yesterday, Olympic chiefs refused to back down and allowed the 55kg category bout to go ahead. 

Olympic women's boxer Imane Khelif, who triggered an international gender row by demolishing her opponent in 46 seconds yesterday, has spoken of her 'bravery' at overcoming a life of adversity to reach the top of her sport. The 'biologically male' athlete told how she rose from selling bread on the the streets of her Algerian village to become a sporting hero - after a coach turned her to the sport due to her 'physical qualities'. But even then, she faced prejudice as her conservative community viewed the sport as 'only for men'. The 25-year-old, one of two athletes thrown out of last year's world championships in New Delhi after failing to meet gender eligibility criteria, is now eyeing up a dream gold medal after progressing to the quarter-finals in a win marred by controversy. In an unearthed interview filmed ahead of the Games, the boxer opened up about bouncing back from her ban over elevated testosterone levels and declared: 'I wanted to show the whole world what a brave woman Imane Khelif is.'

Imane Khelif left a rival fighter thanking god for avoiding serious injury back in 2022 - nearly two years before finding herself at the center of a gender row at the Paris Olympic Games.  Khelif beat Italy's Angela Carini on Thursday - she quit 46 seconds into the fight after getting caught on the nose in the early exchanges. She was in tears after the fight, saying she withdrew for her own safety and that she had never been hit so hard before. And she isn't the only athlete to make such remarks after coming up against Khelif.

Debates on DSD in sport comes after Imane Khelif (in red left and inset), who was banned from a previous tournament after failing a gender assessment was given the greenlight to compete at this year's games. And facing off against Italy's Angela Carini (left in blue) , Khelif was victorious after just two blows with her opponent yelling 'this is unjust' as the match was abandoned. It's not the first time the issue of DSD in women's sport has been a subject of controversy. One of the most famous examples is that of South African runner Caster Semenya (right).

An Italian female boxer who celebrated qualifying for the Olympics in honour of her late father was today defeated by her 'biologically male' opponent. The controversial bout saw Italy 's Angela Carini and her Algerian opponent Imane Khelif in the ring for just 46 seconds before the Italian threw down her helmet, yelling: 'This is unjust'. In resurfaced footage from the Olympic Qualifiers, a determined Carini broke down in tears as she showed an image of her dead father to reporters before saying: 'Until the end I fought with blood in my eyes because I wanted this victory at all costs. Just for my father'. She explained how she told her dad she was tired, and that the training was intense, but promised him she would never give up. Despite her motivation to claim victory during Thursday's bout, however, the 25-year-old ultimately refused the handshake and fell to the canvas sobbing having received just two punches from Khelif - who had been banned from a major boxing contest before the Olympics .

A boxer deemed a 'biological male' today won against an Italian woman in one of the most controversial Olympic bouts ever. The fight took 46 seconds and her Italian opponent threw her helmet onto the floor as the fight was abandoned. She refused the handshake, fell to the canvas and appeared to wipe away a tear. Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, 25, fought Italy 's Angela Carini, 25 despite being banned from a major boxing contest before the Olympics . Carini appeared to wipe away a tear after being hit twice and walking out of the fight.

In a recent interview, Lord Coe said that the mismatch is so wide that female Olympians competing at the Olympics would not have a chance against trans women. The president of the sports governing body - who announced a ban on trans people from female sports last year - says the issue is'very straightforward cut.' Lord Coe, 67, said, 'The decision (to outlaw transgender athletes) was based on a single fact: I am elected to safeguard the female category, and if I don't do that no woman will win another (medal) again.' However, Lord Coe said that trans athletes should still be able to compete at a local level, but not at the Olympics. He hasn't ruled out the introduction of a 'third category' for trans women, although it will essentially be a male category'. His remarks came days after British swimmer Sharron Davies (right), who lost gold to an opponent using testosterone in 1980, cautioned against trans women competing with females, including American trans athlete Lia Thomas (pictured inset, far left).

RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: In May of 2019, there was quite a scene on trackside. We were in Doha at the beginning of Caster Semenya's first run after the Court of Arbitration for Sport drew the most blurry lines between her and the 800 meters discipline she had dominated for so long. Semenya was a vision of power that evening, both in her campaign and with her words. It was intended to be her last hurrah at the distance before the exile came in and she finished the two laps in 1:54.98, more than three seconds ahead of an elite field. Only recently has she been able to go faster. Scorching. I'm thinking about it now because a British Olympian left dead on the track has just been singled out for another beating in Semenya's latest book. It's a real score settler in parts: a memoir that has boosted my admiration for what she has accomplished while also subtracting a little due to the vindictiveness with which she has gone after the same runner.

On BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour, the 32-year-old South African 800m runner spoke about the controversy surrounding her career so far. Semenya, the Olympic champions of 800 meters in 2012 and 2016, was legally identified as female at birth, but her body naturally produces higher amounts of testosterone than in women without the condition. For Semenya, testosterone suppression would have to be administered by World Athletics in 2018; for Semenya, it meant taking the contraceptive Pill to reduce testosterone. Semenya is winning Gold, right. Semenya and her partner Violet Raseboya.

Quinn (left) of Sporting made football history this month when the team became the first transgender, non-binary participant to complete in the FIFA World Cup. In Melbourne last Friday, the Canadian player, 27, was part of the national team that faced Nigeria. Despite the fact that the game ended in a goalless draw, Quinn's appearance was a huge win for transgender rights in the sport. Quinn - who uses they/them pronouns - was a member of the Tokyo Olympics' national Women's Football team in Summer 2020. Quinn was the top inset before they changed to Quinn. The player's top surgery, which was in November 2020, was seen in the bottom inset. Right: The player relaxes in Volunteer Park in Seattle

Caster Semenya has won her court fight against World Athletics' new testosterone quota in athletes. In order to compete between 400 meters and a mile, Semenya and athletes with different sexual growth (DSD) must take hormone-suppressing drugs. The Court of Arbitration for Sport and the Swiss Federal Supreme Court's decision had been dismissed, but the European Court of Human Rights ruled that her human rights were infringed. Nevertheless, the change cost Semenya the opportunity to defend her 800 meter Olympic gold at the Tokyo games in 2021. Learn more about Semenya's intersex condition here.

Caster Semenya, the Olympic champion, won an appeal against track and field's testosterone legislation on Tuesday after the European Court of Human Rights found she had been discriminated against. The decision could force sport's highest court to re-examine the laws that encourage Semenya and other female athletes to artificially lower naturally high testosterone levels in order to participate in top international and world championships. The Strasbourg-based rights court ruled in Semenya's favour by a 4-3 majority of judges.

Sharron Davies (left) a former British Olympic swimmer, has spoken out in favour of World Athletics' decision to ban transgender athletes from all sports, as well as congratulating the organization for "standing up for female athletes." It comes as a result of Lord Seb Coe's (right) telling BBC Radio 4 that there was a unanimous agreement among the vast majority of the key stakeholders we have: Female athletes, mentors, and our member federations [that] there is absolutely no way that we should be including transgender athletes at this stage.'

In no uncertain terms, female athletes and coaches told Seb Coe (inset) that there was 'absolutely no way' that transgender people should be allowed to compete in the female category. World Athletics reported on Thursday that a significant restructure for transgender participation in the female category had been introduced, effectively excluding transgender women (not pictured) from competing in the female category (pictured, the 200m women's final at the European Athletics Championships in Munich last year) - and Lord Coe has said the step was taken to shield the sport's'very basic rule.' He revealed that after puberty, he had been overwhelmed by messages from women urging him to delete transgender people from the site.

The council also voted to cut the maximum amount of plasma testosterone for athletes with Differences in Sex Development (DSD) in half, to 2.5 nanomoles per litre from five. Caster Semenya, Christine Mboma, the 2020 Olympic silver medalist in the 200m, and Francine Niyonsaba, who finished runner-up to Semenya in the 800 at the 2016 Olympics, will be affected by the tighter regulations.