"If she refuses, we have the answer" - Piers Morgan suggests Imane Khelif to undergo gender eligibility test after she reaches Paris Olympics SF

Piers Morgan, the well-known English journalist and broadcaster, suggested Algerian boxer Imane Khelif undergo a gender eligibility test. His statement came after Khelif defeated Luca Hamori to make it to the semi-finals of the Paris Olympics.

The Algerian boxer has taken center stage since her round of 16 bout against Italian boxer Angela Carini on Thursday. Carini abandoned the match after 46 seconds after being hit severely on the nose. Following this, the Algerian came under the radar of fans and pundits all over the world for her gender eligibility.

Khelif was not allowed to participate in the 2023 World Boxing Championship after the International Boxing Association's necessary eligibility criteria were not met. However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) backed Khelif as she had already cleared their criteria for participation at the Paris Olympics.

In a recent turn of events, Piers Morgan, 59, called out Imane Khelif publicly after her quarter-final victory. He urged the boxer to undergo a gender eligibility test to clear the air on the controversy, while he also suggested that if she refused to take the test, it would provide the answers everyone was seeking.

Taking to his X handle (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, Morgan reposted Pop Base's coverage of Algeria's qualification for the semi-finals and wrote:

"Imane should voluntarily submit to an easy cheek swab test to determine her biological s*x. If she refuses, we have the answer."

After the match against Carini, Khelif was scheduled to fight Luca Hamori of Hungary in the quarterfinals on Saturday, where the former easily bested Hamori by a decisive score of 5-0 to secure her place in the semifinals happening on Wednesday, August 7, where she will be facing Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand.

Giorgia Meloni and Piers Morgan criticize Imane Khelif after her fight against Carini

Olympic Games Paris 2024: Boxing (Source: Getty)

Imane Khelif's victory over Angela Carini was condemned by several renowned figures, like Riley Gaines and Elon Musk, who were joined by Piers Morgan, and then Giorgia Meloni, the Prime Minister of Italy.

After Carini's withdrawal, Morgan took to his X handle and wrote:

"Imane Khelif is NOT a biological woman.. watching this shamefully unequal Olympic fight was sickening."

Georgia Meloni also questioned the fairness of the match and stated (as quoted by The Sun):

"From my point of view, this was not an equal competition. I think that athletes who have male genetic characteristics should not participate in women’s competitions."

She also clarified that she does not intend to discriminate against anyone but aims to protect female athletes' rights.