Tag: Imane Khelif

Imane Khelif addressed the baseless controversy surrounding her gender after winning Olympic boxing gold

Imane Khelif has addressed the baseless controversy surrounding her gender.

Algerian women’s boxing star Imane Khelif won the 2024 Paris Olympics gold in Thursday’s 66kg (welterweight) final, concluding a stellar run marred by unnecessary controversy about her gender.

While Khelif was born a woman and identifies as her biological gender, she has faced unfounded accusations after questionable claims of unspecified gender testing were made by the International Boxing Association. Amid all the misinformation, the IOC stood by her.

Khelif discussed the baseless allegations after winning the gold, clearly stating that she is indeed a woman and is more than worthy of competing with people of her shared gender.

“As for whether I qualify or not, or whether I am a woman or not, I am fully qualified to take part in this competition,” Khelif said, via Yahoo Sports. “I am a woman like any other woman. I was born a woman. I’ve lived as a woman. I’ve competed as a woman. There is no doubt about that.”

It’s deeply unfortunate that Khelif was ensnared in such a tacky controversy while she was competing at the Olympics, but it’s heartening that she was able to power through it all to still win the gold medal.

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Boxer Imane Khelif wins gold medal: Algerian earns Olympic gold after controversy

Targeted in a “gender eligibility” controversy at the Paris Olympics, Imane Khelif of Algeria continues to thrive inside the boxing ring.

PARIS – Algerian boxer [autotag]Imane Khelif[/autotag], targeted in a “gender eligibility’’ controversy at these Games, etched her name into Olympic history Friday night.

She’s now a gold medalist.

Khelif, 25, beat China’s Yang Liu in the women’s welterweight finals at Roland-Garros Stadium, capping a turbulent experience at the Olympics.

“I’m very happy. For eight years, this has been my dream and I’m now the Olympic champion and gold medallist,” Khelif said. “I’ve worked for eight years, no sleep, eight years tired. Now I’m Olympic champion.

“I want to thank all the people who have come to support me. All the people from Algeria and all the people at my base. I want to thank all the team, my coach. Thank you so much.”

Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-Ting have been subjected to abuse on social media and inaccurate media speculation about their sexes even though the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said they both have met all criteria and that there’s no question they are women.

The Russian-backed International Boxing Association brought the issue to the surface last week. The IBA, which is not recognized by the IOC and has no role in Olympic boxing, stripped Lin (gold) and Khelif (bronze) of their 2023 World Championship medals after the organization claimed they failed gender eligibility tests. The IOC and others have raised concerns about the veracity of those tests.

Aug 9, 2024; Paris, France; Imane Khelif (ALG) strikes Yang Liu (CHN) in a women’s 66kg gold medal bout during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Roland Garros. Mandatory Credit: Andrew P. Scott-USA TODAY Sports

While the issue raged, the two boxers continued to excel in the ring.

Khelif won all four of her bouts at the Olympics.

Lin, 28, fights for gold Saturday against Poland’s Julia Szeremeta in women’s featherweight (126 pounds) division. Lin has won all three of her bouts on points by unanimious decision.

Khelif, 25, won her opening bout when Italy’s Angela Carini quit 46 seconds into the match in the round of 16. She won on points by unanimous decision in the quarterfinals against Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori and in the semifinals against Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng.

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