"I was wrong": Twitch streamer Flexinja comments, in a now-deleted post, on Olympic boxer Imane Khelif

Popular Valorant Twitch streamer Chris "Flexinja" has addressed the backlash regarding his comments on Olympic boxer Imane Khelif, in a deleted X post. The streamer became the center of a heated controversy after making controversial comments about the Algerian boxer, specifically relating to her gender.

Flexinja took to X, in a now-deleted post, to issue a public apology concerning the situation:

"I was wrong and I deserve most of the hate that I got on that inital post. my apologies."

The Twitch streamer made an apology in a now-deleted X post, regarding his comments on Imane Khelif (Image via Flexinja/X)

Known for his lively gaming broadcasts and cheerful demeanor, Flexinja fell into trouble after he made remarks about Khelif, who he initially thought was a man, participating in a woman's Olympic event. The streamer quickly deleted his original post and later responded in a now-deleted X post.

The streamer acknowledged his comments, which many thought were rude and inconsiderate. These remarks immediately went viral on social media and incited a backlash from the general public:

"I initially thought Khelif is a biological male competing in a physical combat woman's sport after seeing the initial outcry and looking at a few articles stating that she's been denied the previous year for having XY chromosomes, but after researching a bit more I believe what I initially looked up is false and that she is in-fact a woman."

Although apologetic, the streamer insisted that men have a biological advantage over women and there would be an unfair advantage if they participated in women's boxing:

"As for the transphobic comments... as someone who grew up being taught that men are biologically stronger than women and that men should never lay their hands on a woman, I don't think it's a crazy take to say that men have an undeniable advantage when it comes to competing vs women in sports, especially a physical combat sport, which raises questions of fairness."

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The Flexinja controversy elaborated

The entire situation kicked off after Khelif's attendance at the Paris Olympics caused questions to be raised since she was disqualified from the Women’s World Boxing Championships in 2023 due to elevated testosterone levels, despite being a cisgender woman. This incident led to accusations of her being transgender, which fueled further controversy and hate.

Reacting to Khelif's win over Angela Carini at the Olympics 2024, Flexinja shared the following statement on X:

"Here you have a biological woman who trained incredibly hard for the Olympics only to be beaten up by a transwoman (biological man) to the point she had to give up within 45 seconds... sad world. Men do not belong in women's sports."

The streamer subsequently faced a lot of backlash, causing him to delete his post. Flexinja's response to the vitriol was also met with mixed reactions. While some applauded his willingness to take accountability, others felt that his apology was insufficient:

A summary of community reactions to the controversy. (Image via X.com)

Nonetheless, the incident sparked numerous conversations surrounding accountability and the impact of words, particularly for public figures.