Controversial Algerian female boxer Imane Khelif, who attracted criticism for being a biological male, won the gold medal in the Paris Olympics.
Khelif first came into the spotlight after she knocked out her Italian rival Angela Carini in just 46 seconds when the latter pulled out of the bout after facing raining punches from muscular Khelif.
Khelif was disqualified from the 2023 World Championships when the International Boxing Association found XY chromosomes in her body, which are typically found in males. The declining clout of IBA at the world level made them less credible on the global stage, which paved the way for Khleif to achieve Olympic glory.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), which faced pressure to disqualify Khleif from the competition, maintained that she was a born woman and played in women’s sports for “many years.”
However, critics, including her Olympic rivals, argued that the boxer was probably suffering from a rare medical condition known as Differences in Sex Development (DSD), which results in XY chromosomes and elevated testosterone levels within a biological female. People suffering from these conditions usually develop atypically in their mothers’ wombs. Although these conditions are very rare, the Olympic gender row has brought them under intense discussion in recent weeks.
The rising opposition against Khelif also mobilized Algerian fans, who turned out in great numbers to support her in the later stages of the competition.
Khelif herself broke silence and urged her critics to stop the “bullying” campaign against her, while the IOC also suggested that it was “saddened” to see the persisting “abuse” against the two boxers. The commission also talked about another boxer from Taiwan, Lin Yu-ting, who faced similar scrutiny, as she was also disqualified by the IBA last year. Lin Yu-ting also won the Olympic gold in featherweight boxing this year.
After winning the gold, Khelif stated that her eight years of hard work have paid off today as she added that she is a born woman and always competed in professional women’s sports. She further noted that the gold medal has a “special taste” after all the controversy in recent times.
Meanwhile, the gender row saga also forced heavyweights from different walks of life to slam the IOC for letting Khelif compete in the event. Former President Donald Trump, business tycoon Elon Musk, and Harry Potter writer J. K. Rowling criticized the commission’s lack of efforts to protect women’s sports and let people like Khelif dominate female games.
Trump announced to protect women’s sports after coming to power again, while Musk retweeted a post that mentioned that men should be kept away from women’s games.
IOC spokesperson Mark Adams stated that he does not want to comment on any individual athlete, but all participants in the Paris games are completely eligible to compete in their respective sports and categories.
Meanwhile, Khelif has now initiated a legal battle against “cyber-harassment” in Paris, although it remains unclear how long she will be able to pursue the case after returning to her country.
