Two-time Asian Games silver medallist Dutee Chand has come out in support of Algerian boxer Imane Khelif after she landed in hot soup at the Paris 2024.

A ‘gender row’ was triggered against the pugilist on Thursday after her Italian counter-part Angela Carini withdrew from the Round of 16 bout in 46 seconds. It led to a lot of social media criticism against the Algerian who was categorized as a ‘biological male’ for having too high a testosterone level despite her being born as a female.

The Indian sprinter recalled the time when she was subjected to a similar incident and told PTI: “In 2014, I challenged the IOC’s rule that a person with a higher testosterone level should not participate in the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland. It was noted that hormonal levels cannot increase athletic performance. I suffered a lot at that time. I faced a lot of controversy regarding my gender.”

“Yesterday, during the Olympic match, (Angela) Carini gave up and now she is complaining about the Algerian boxer because of high testosterone levels. When you play in the Olympics, you undergo several tests. I don’t think it is right to create controversy about this social media.” she added.

Khelif is not new to controversies surrounding her high testosterone levels. She was disqualified from the World Championships in New Delhi, India, last year after failing the criteria set by the International Boxing Association (IBA) which detected her having ‘XY Chromosomes’.

Meanwhile, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has re-affirmed its stance to support the Algerian after the social media criticism, saying that she is eligible to participate in Paris 2024. Her quarter-final bout is scheduled to take place on Saturday against Hungary’s  Luca Anna Hamori.