Imane Khelif returned to the ring with a second consecutive victory at the North Paris Arena on Saturday as debate over her participation in the Olympic event continues.
Khelif’s involvement in the showpiece has become one of the most talked about topics relating to this year’s games in Paris.
The controversy stems from Algerian Khelif and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan being banned from the Women’s World Championships in New Delhi, India last year.
IBA, the governing body at the time, said that both “have XY chromosomes” and failed gender eligibility tests.
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However, the IBA were stripped of its duties as a governing body by the IOC (International Olympic Committee) and replaced by the Paris Boxing Unit (PBU) for the Olympics.
They allowed both to compete, as they did in the delayed Tokyo Olympics back in 2021.
Khelif was born a female and has not transitioned despite mass misinformation spread online.
Olympic boxing- Getty
Her second round encounter in the women’s welterweight competition saw Angela Carini of Italy withdraw just 46 seconds into their fight after she was caught with two punches which she said were the “hardest’ she had ever been hit with.
She then said it was unfair that Khelif was allowed to compete, causing an almighty storm that she later apologised for.
Khelif progressed to the quarter final of the 66kg bracket and was paired against Hungarian Anna Luca Hamori, who received backlash for a series of Instagram posts which fans called “disgusting” and “sad”.
Despite having a point removed for excessive holding, she controlled the three-round fight in slick fashion with her jab and qualified for the semi finals after a clean sweep victory on the judges’ scorecards.
She showed sportsmanship by sharing an embrace with her opponent and opening up the rope for her to exit the ring.
Image: Getty
The 25-year-old was overcome with tears of joy as she celebrated with her coaches after guaranteeing at least a bronze medal.
On Thursday, the IOC posted a detailed statement clarifying the matter and why Khelif is able to fight, while the Algerian Olympic Committee said the boxer was a victim of “unethical targeting” and “baseless propaganda”.
Khelif has largely remained silent, though her father Omar leapt to her defence and told Sky News her previous opponent was beaten “because my daughter was stronger and she was softer”.
