"I Will Fight": Algerian Boxer Imane Khelif Ready To Fight Against Boxing Organisation Lawsuit

Neither Khelif nor Lin Yu-ting are transgender women. Both were born and raised as women, which is how they are registered on their passports.

Algerian gold-winning boxer Imane Khelif has denounced "false and offensive" allegations after the International Boxing Association (IBA) said it will sue the International Olympic Committee over her and another female athlete's inclusion at the games' women's boxing last year. Khelif said in a statement posted Tuesday on social media she will "take all necessary legal steps to ensure that my rights and the principles of fair competition are upheld". The IBA has "again made baseless accusations that are false and offensive, using them to further their agenda", she said.

"This is a matter that concerns not just me but the broader principles of fairness and due process in sport," she added.

Earlier this week, the IBA said it will launch a lawsuit against the IOC for including Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting -- who also won gold -- at last year's Olympic Games in Paris.

The IBA, led by Umar Kremlev, a Kremlin-linked Russian oligarch, was excluded from the Olympic movement in 2019 over financial and ethical irregularities.