Had you recently emerged from solitary confinement and I told you that a Muslim woman was at the center of the biggest controversy of the 2024 Paris Olympics, you might assume the story had something to do with religion.

It did not. Nor did it have anything to do with performance-enhancing drugs, corrupt judges’ scorecards, or an athlete’s rival being attacked by a hired goon with a nightstick — you know, the type of Olympic scandals we’ve grown accustomed to. Nope. This one centers on a debate over whether the Muslim woman in question is a woman.

Imane Khelif of Algeria won the gold medal in the women’s boxing welterweight division (145 pounds) in Paris. Khelif’s unanimous-decision victory over China’s Yang Liu completed a 4-0 run through the Olympic tournament, where every one of Khelif’s fights sparked larger conflicts between fans, media, fellow combat sports athletes, biological scientists (real and imagined), and athletic governing bodies. At issue: Khelif, a high-level amateur level since at least 2018, was disqualified from the 2023 Women’s World Boxing Championships by the International Boxing Association for failing a gender test. Essentially, the IBA somehow determined that Khelif was biologically a male and thus could not compete against women. But when the IBA was relieved of its duties to organize boxing at the 2024 Olympics, the International Olympic Committee allowed Khelif to compete against women under its own rules determining gender eligibility.

(Also wrapped in the Olympic boxing controversy was Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan, a.k.a. Chinese Taipei, who won the gold medal in the women’s featherweight division after being disqualified from the 2023 world championships due to failing the IBA’s gender test. But for some reason, Yu-ting was not talked about nearly as much as Khelif over the last few weeks.)

Even if you had been in solitary, you can guess where the story went from there. The anti-Khelif crowd dug its heels in and sided with the IBA, insisting that Khelif is a man beating up on weaker women, and using the situation to condemn transgender athletes (Khelif is not transgender) and “woke” politicians whom they accuse of pushing agendas of evil and/or inclusion. The pro-Khelif crowd dug its heels in and sided with the IOC, insisting that Khelif is a woman, and using the situation to condemn ignorance and bigotry among the public and politicians regarding biology and gender identity.

The conclusion of the Olympics on August 11 was not the end of the controversy, however; Khelif is now taking legal action against individuals and entities for cyberbullying and harassment.

Keeping in the spirit of the social media battlegrounds on which this culture war has primarily been waged, here are some scattered thoughts on the Olympic saga of Imane Khelif:

• Cards on the table: I’m biased here. Not in favor of or against Khelif personally, but I am pro-boxing. As a fan of the sport, I didn’t want this to be the reason why boxing was a popular topic at the Paris Olympics. I didn’t want anything negative overshadowing what could be the final Olympic boxing tournaments in who knows how long. (Boxing is currently not listed among the sports that will be at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.) And in part because boxing doesn’t need another scandal of having an Olympic gold medalist stripped, I hope Khelif’s name will be crystally cleared.

• As much as they’ve mocked and laughed about the situation, make no mistake: the anti-Khelif crowd didn’t want this to be a story either. Whether out of a genuine concern for female athletes or driven by an anti-LGBT bias, they didn’t want someone who’d been identified as a male fighting against females. Nor did the pro-Khelif crowd want this to be a big story; they’d hope Khelif’s gender was not disputed in the first place. And I’d imagine Khelif herself didn’t want this to be a story; even in her wildest dreams, the road to Olympic gold for an Algerian women’s boxer would not be a big enough deal to dominate the Olympic news cycle. (Without looking it up, name any of the women’s boxing gold medalists from Paris not named Imane Khelif or Lin Yu-ting.) Women’s boxing just doesn’t generate the media and mainstream attention of track and field or basketball or swimming at the Olympics.

• One has to wonder why the brown Muslim woman who defeated two white European opponents in her first two fights drew so much more public vitriol and venom than Lin Yu-ting, the Taiwanese fighter who defeated two opponents from Muslim-majority countries on her way to a gold medal. We know how certain segments of society are quick to villainize Muslims. And whether it’s sports, crime, or natural disasters — the identity and characteristics of the person who’s taking a beating undeniably factors into how narratives are shaped and sympathies are bestowed. Khelif’s first opponent in Paris was Angela Carini of Italy, who not only quit fighting after Khelif landed just two punches, but also cried in the ring. It was the perfect damsel-in-distress, battered-woman image that the anti-Khelif crowd needed to confirm the worst of what they already believed going into the fight and add extra fuel to the fiery debate.

• While religion wasn’t a focal point of the Khelif story, of course it popped up during the discourse. One example of perhaps understandable ignorance that surfaced in the form of a question: If Khelif is really a Muslim woman from Algeria, why doesn’t she wear hijab? Apparently, not everyone is aware that not every Muslim-majority country requires women to wear hijab. Algeria is one such country, and thus Khelif’s clothing has nothing to do with her gender identity. Not surprisingly, no one questioned why gold-medal-winning Algerian gymnast Kaylia Nemour doesn’t wear hijab either.

• Among the athletes who weighed in on the controversy was Claressa Shields, herself an Olympic gold medalist who is not just the best female boxer in the world today but maybe the greatest of all time. Like a lot of people, Shields initially came out strong on one side, going off the little information (and misinformation) she’d been given:

But as more details emerged, Shields reconsidered her stance — not on transgender athletes, but on Khelif and Yu-ting specifically:

Eventually, armed with more knowledge, Shields landed on the other side of the debate from where she began:

The narrative arc for Shields is not uncommon: a lot of knee-jerk reactions evolved into more informed opinions from the beginning of these Olympics to the end. But as the face of women’s boxing, it stood out how little impact Shields’ commentary had on the larger public debate. One would imagine that if LeBron James shared his opinion on an open basketball controversy, or if Patrick Mahomes spoke out on a polarizing football topic, it would at least draw enough attention to become a story in its own right, and likely move the needle one way or another on the original debate. Yet on this story that was so important to women’s boxing, the planet’s premier women’s boxer didn’t appear able to influence the audience.

• When Khelif’s father publicly came out and showed a birth certificate confirming Imane was born female, along with childhood photos, and reiterated for the folks in the back that his daughter is indeed a woman, one might think that would’ve been the end of the debate. Especially considering that, on issues involving gender identity with young people, many members of the anti-Khelif crowd tend to side with the parents over any governing body or agency.

• So what happens next? Authorities in France are reportedly investigating the criminal complaint filed by Khelif for online harassment, and there’s a pending lawsuit. Next month, the 2024 edition of the Women’s World Boxing Championships will kick off in Kazakhstan — but seeing as the IBA still runs that tournament, Khelif (and Yu-ting) most likely won’t be involved. The next Olympics is in 2028, but at the moment, boxing is not on the lineup of sports that will be contested there. Khelif is 25 years old and boasts a 42-9 (6 KOs) amateur record. Will she turn pro? Can she turn pro? The landscape of professional boxing is notoriously lawless, so who knows what tests will be required by various sanctioning bodies in order for Khelif to compete at the women’s pro level. But it’s undeniable that with a newly won Olympic gold medal and more attention on her than ever — even if it’s for the wrong reasons — the time for Khelif to capitalize on controversy would be now.