Taapsee Pannu Reacts to Imane Khelif Gender Row at Olympics: 'Why Are Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps Not Banned?'

Taapsee Pannu has voiced her opinion on the ongoing gender eligibility controversy surrounding Algerian boxer Imane Khelif at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Khelif and another female Olympic boxer, Lin Yu-ting representing Chinese Taipei, continue to face intense scrutiny about their gender and eligibility to compete with women. Khelif had beaten Yang Liu to win gold in women’s boxing 66kg at the Olympics.

In an exclusive conversation with ANI, Taapsee addressed the issue and drew parallels with her film Rashmi Rocket, which also deals with the subject of gender testing in sports. The film, in which Taapsee plays a female athlete, critically examines the practice of disqualifying athletes based on natural hormone levels.

“I played a role on that subject. I did a film called Rashmi Rocket which was about a female athlete being banned because she was detected with a high level of testosterone. So, I played this role. I mean, we presented our views, and that’s why you know I think the beauty of the kind of films I get is sometimes I get my films to talk about the muddas (issues) that I personally believe in without making a statement outside,” Taapsee said.

Taapsee elaborated on how her role in Rashmi Rocket reflects the current controversy involving Khelif, who was earlier disqualified from the 2023 world championships over gender testing. She questioned the criteria for disqualification based on a naturally higher level of testosterone, emphasising that these biological traits are beyond an athlete’s control.

“Our argument in the film was that there are so many athletes who are born with an edge over others. Like Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps, all these people are also born with a certain biological edge over others. Why are they not banned? And why only someone who has a higher level of testosterone is banned?” Taapsee remarked.

She further added, “If she has taken injections for this particular competition, then, of course, it should be illegal and she should be banned. But if she is not, then by something that is not in her control, you’ve banned her. So that’s the character that I played in the film as well. So that was my statement.”

Taapsee’s comments highlight the ongoing debate surrounding gender testing in sports, a topic that continues to provoke discussions on fairness, biology, and the rights of athletes.