University of Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark has been honored as the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year, securing a significant majority of the votes. Olympic gymnast Simone Biles came in second place in the voting conducted by 74 sports journalists from the AP and its member organizations. However, the inclusion of Olympic boxing gold medalist Imane Khelif in the voting sparked renewed discussion about gender eligibility in sports.
Khelif's participation in the Paris Olympics, where she won gold, was met with controversy after being disqualified from the 2023 world championships due to questions surrounding her gender. The International Boxing Association (IBA) president stated that Khelif possessed "XY chromosomes," typically associated with males. This led to one opponent, Angela Carini, forfeiting her bout against Khelif in Paris, citing safety concerns. Khelif ultimately dominated her weight class, winning gold without losing a single round. Carini later framed her recent Italian title win as a form of "revenge."
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) defended Khelif's inclusion in the women's competition, attributing her disqualification from the IBA championships to a sudden and arbitrary decision lacking due process. Khelif's case, alongside that of another gold medalist, Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan, who also faced similar scrutiny, has reignited the debate surrounding transgender athletes in sports, with some calling for outright bans. The controversy surrounding Khelif's participation contributed to her becoming the most-searched athlete on Google this year.
