Tennis legend Martina Navratilova needed just one acronym in response to Olympic boxing gold medalist Imane Khelif receiving votes for the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year award.
Khelif was thrown into turmoil during the Olympics after it was revealed that the Algerian fighter had failed a gender test ahead of the Paris Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) claimed that Khelif met all the requirements for the competition and ultimately won the gold medal.
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Imane Khelif competes against Anna Luca Hamori during the Paris Olympics in Villepinte, France, August 17. 3. 2024. (Mehmet Murat Onel/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Khelif came third in the voting, receiving four votes. Caitlin Clark won the award and Simone Biles came in second.
Navratilova, a staunch advocate for protecting women’s sports, responded in a post to X.
“Wtaf???” She wrote, meaning “what the actual f—.”
Khelif qualified for the Paris Olympics, but Khelif’s gender was called into question after he was disqualified from the 2023 championships ahead of a gold medal fight over gender eligibility issues.
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Umar Kremlev, president of the International Boxing Association, said the boxer had “XY chromosomes” associated with biological males.
Algeria’s Imane Khelif looks at Italy’s Angela Carini after their boxing match at the Summer Olympics on August 1, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
One boxer, Angela Carini, lost her fight against Khelif in Paris with the words: “One punch hurt too much.”
Khelif won gold in Paris and was not the only boxer to win gold in the women’s category to be disqualified for failing gender suitability tests. Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting also won gold in a different women’s weight class in Paris, prompting similar outrage.
The IOC defended the inclusion of Khelif and Yu-ting in the women’s competitions.
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova presents trophies at the French Open at Roland Garros on June 8, 2024 in Paris. (Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
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Khelif was the most Googled athlete of the year, largely due to the controversy.
Fox News’ Ryan Morik contributed to this report.
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