The Boston Globe issued a retraction on Saturday after running a print headline that misidentified Algerian Olympic boxer Imane Khelif as “transgender.” Khelif, who has now guaranteed she will win at least a bronze medal at the Summer 2024 games, previously sparked controversy after a bout with Italy’s Angela Carini ended after only 46 seconds. The Algerian boxer, who was born female and has competed in women’s boxing events for years, was disqualified from another competition last year by an outside organization currently at odds with the International Olympic Committee after failing an unspecified “gender eligibility test.” The International Boxing Association, which was banned by the IOC after years of corruption allegations, has not released more information about the test Khelif failed. The original headline in the Boston Globe, which ran on Friday, read “Transgender boxer advances.” It appeared on an Associated Press wire report written by Greg Beacham, which does not misidentify Khelif. In the retraction note, the storied New England paper admitted it made a “significant error” in the headline. “This editing lapse is regrettable and unacceptable and we apologize to Khelif, to Associated Press writer Greg Beacham, and to you, our readers.”
