Former NFL player Shannon Sharpe reveals his stance on controversial Olympic boxer Imane Khelif

Former NFL subordinate Shannon Sharpe came to nan defense of Algerian boxer, Imane Khelif, whose beingness astatine nan 2024 Paris Olympics has sparked a world gender row. 

The 25-year-old was cleared to compete successful nan women's class astatine nan Games aft she was rejected from past year's world championships for allegedly having antheral 'XY chromosomes.' 

'She was calved a woman,' Sharpe said connected an section of his Nightcap podcast, via Awful Announcing.

'Transgender group are trying to get rights. And erstwhile they spell to Capitol Hill, these senators and representatives connected nan different broadside inquire doctors very circumstantial questions. "Doc, I want to inquire you 1 thing, tin this female person a child?" Yes, she tin … So, really is she not a woman? Biologically and anatomically, really is she not a woman?' he went on. 

Khelif is not a transgender female and has ne'er identified arsenic such.   

However, she began making headlines aft Italy's Angela Carini abandoned their conflict successful conscionable 46 seconds earlier breaking down successful tears.

The defeated welterweight was deed twice, suffered a suspected surgery chemoreceptor and hardly threw a punch earlier telling her area 'it's not fair.' 

She past sank to her knees, hit nan canvas successful vexation and refused to shingle Khelif's manus aft conceding victory. 

Meanwhile, Olympic bosses doubled down connected their determination to let Khelif - and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting - to compete aft they were disqualified from nan 2023 world championship.

The IBA were nan governing assemblage who oversaw nan title past year, but had their position stripped by nan IOC complete governance issues and alleged corruption. 

'They (Khelif and Yu-ting) were abruptly disqualified without immoderate owed process,' nan IOC said successful a connection aft taking complete nan moving of boxing successful nan Games and nan eligibility rules surrounding it.

'Every personification has nan correct to believe athletics without discrimination,' nan connection went on. 

It besides attacked 'misleading accusation astir 2 female athletes', adding that nan brace 'have been competing successful world boxing competitions for galore years successful nan women's category.'

The connection highlighted 'aggression' against nan boxers which it said was 'based wholly connected this arbitrary decision, which was taken without immoderate due procedure'.

'Such an attack is contrary to bully governance. Eligibility rules should not beryllium changed during ongoing competition, and immoderate norm alteration must travel due processes and should beryllium based connected technological grounds … The IOC is saddened by nan maltreatment that nan 2 athletes are presently receiving.'