Pregnant Laura Woods reveals she received death threats after weighing in on Imane Khelif’s gender controversy at Olympic boxing

Many therefore think that boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting will stagger their way to the podium next week.

But how deeply sad it is that a global event with so many stories — stories of triumph, adversity, heartbreak and sheer hard work against all odds — focuses on the backstories of these two individuals.

Everyone has an opinion. And everyone is entitled to their opinion.

But those with the loudest statements, like JK Rowling – who really needs to go back to Privet Drive and stop the militant anti-transgender statements – need to tread carefully.

When the author labeled the athletes as “male,” she knew what she was doing: she was stoking her own hatred and misleading the misinformed masses.

It was very irresponsible.

Because in Algeria, where Khelif comes from, it is illegal to be homosexual, let alone transgender. And let’s face it, that is exactly what the boxer is accused of.

In fact, she is the world’s first fictional transgender Olympian.

But she is not transgender. And never has been.

Because as is so often the case these days, misinformation, conspiracy theories and gross exaggerations are the order of the day.

And how tragic and horrific it would be if those vocal individuals who claim to stand up for women then saw two women murdered by hate mobs.

Where was JK’s outrage over the fact that convicted Dutch male rapist Steven van de Velde was allowed to participate in beach volleyball?

Or where was her anger about the Chinese team winning gold in the 4x100m medley, if she is so concerned about positive hormones? The team included two swimmers who previously tested positive for doping?

Yesterday, the Algerian athlete criticized criticism of her gender, calling it “harmful to human dignity” and begged people to “refrain from bullying.”

And then the International Boxing Federation, the organization that originally claimed the couple had failed its “suitability tests,” without even explicitly explaining what those tests entailed, began openly intimidating her.

The IBA, which has been banned from overseeing Olympic boxing due to governance problems, a lack of financial transparency and many alleged cases of corruption, gave its clearly deranged Russian leader Umar Kremlev the floor.

Kremlev ranted, sensitively: “The tests show that they were men. We don’t verify what they have between their legs. We don’t know if they were born that way or if there were any changes.”

What is very inconvenient is that the boxers themselves and their governing bodies also refuse to say exactly which tests they have had done. And part of the blame lies with them.

Do the two have conditions like Swyer syndrome, which means they have female reproductive organs but higher testosterone levels? Are they intersex? How high is their testosterone?

Of course they shouldn’t drop their pants and show their genitals to the world.

But they do need to be more transparent.

The IOC’s clumsy handling of testing procedures also needs to be addressed.

And if these women really do have a huge unfair advantage, then something needs to be done about it. And yes, maybe they should compete with men, albeit in a lighter weight class.

After all, the hurt feelings of these athletes should not outweigh the common sense and well-being of their XX chromosome peers.

Safety must come first for everyone.

And that means no more rumors, no more conspiracy theories, no more wild speculation. Just facts.