NEW DELHI: Algerian boxer Imane Khelif on Saturday secured a medal at the Paris Olympics after defeating Anna Luca Hamori of Hungary in the women’s 66-kilogram quarterfinals.
Khelif’s victory comes amid intense scrutiny and online abuse over misconceptions about her gender, turning the issue into a broader debate about identity in sports.
Khelif won her quarterfinal bout 5:0 against Hamori, ensuring herself at least a bronze medal at the ongoing Olympics.
This is Khelif’s second trip to the Olympics and the medal win follows her earlier victory against Angela Carini of Italy, who abandoned the fight just 46 seconds into the match on Thursday.
Facing heightened scrutiny, Khelif has been at the center of a controversy started by the banned International Boxing Association (IBA), which claimed she failed an unspecified eligibility test for women’s competition last year.
Amid the allegations, Khelif’s participation in the Paris Olympics has sparked significant support and backlash.
In the match against the Hungarian, Khelif entered the ring at the North Paris Arena to loud cheers from a section of the audience waving Algerian flags, underscoring her popularity.
Undeterred by the online abuse, Khelif was greeted with chants of “Imane!” while Hamori faced light booing from the crowd.
Support for Khelif has also come from the highest levels.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach defended both Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting, who faced similar scrutiny.
The IBA had disqualified both athletes in the middle of last year’s world championships, citing failed eligibility tests but refused to provide specific details about the tests.
“Let’s be very clear here: We are talking about women’s boxing,” Bach said Saturday. “We have two boxers who are born as a woman, who have been raised a woman, who have a passport as a woman, and who have competed for many years as women. And this is the clear definition of a woman. There was never any doubt about them being a woman.”
The IBA, which was banned from Olympic participation in 2019 due to conflicts with the IOC over various issues, said Khelif was disqualified last year for elevated levels of testosterone.
However, the organization has not released further details, citing confidentiality.
“What we see now is that some want to own the definition of who is a woman,” Bach added. “And there I can only invite them to come up with a scientific-based new definition of who is a woman, and how can somebody being born, raised, competed and having a passport as a woman cannot be considered a woman?
“If they are coming up with something, we are ready to listen,” Bach added. “We are ready to look into it, but we will not take part in a sometimes politically motivated cultural war.”
The situation escalated when public figures, including former US President Donald Trump and ‘Harry Potter’ author JK Rowling, falsely claimed Khelif was a man or transgender.
The comments heightened tensions, especially at a Paris Games emphasizing inclusion. LGBTQ+ groups have expressed concern that such hateful remarks pose dangers to their community and female athletes.
Amid the controversy, Khelif and Lin have both enjoyed support from audiences at the North Paris Arena.
Lin, a two-time Olympian, will aim to secure her first medal on Sunday if she defeats Svetlana Staneva of Bulgaria.
Lin comfortably won her opening bout against Uzbekistan’s Sitora Turdibekova on Friday.
“What is going on in this context in the social media, with all this hate speech, with all this aggression and abuse, and fueled by this agenda, is totally unacceptable,” Bach said.
The reduced field at the Paris Olympics boxing tournament — which has the fewest number of total boxers since 1956 — means that many fighters can clinch medals with just two victories. Boxing awards two bronze medals in each weight class, which means every semifinalist wins a medal.
The Olympic sport reached gender parity for the first time in Paris, inviting 124 men and 124 women just 12 years after women’s boxing made its Olympic debut.
Khelif’s victory comes amid intense scrutiny and online abuse over misconceptions about her gender, turning the issue into a broader debate about identity in sports.
Khelif won her quarterfinal bout 5:0 against Hamori, ensuring herself at least a bronze medal at the ongoing Olympics.
This is Khelif’s second trip to the Olympics and the medal win follows her earlier victory against Angela Carini of Italy, who abandoned the fight just 46 seconds into the match on Thursday.
Facing heightened scrutiny, Khelif has been at the center of a controversy started by the banned International Boxing Association (IBA), which claimed she failed an unspecified eligibility test for women’s competition last year.
Amid the allegations, Khelif’s participation in the Paris Olympics has sparked significant support and backlash.
In the match against the Hungarian, Khelif entered the ring at the North Paris Arena to loud cheers from a section of the audience waving Algerian flags, underscoring her popularity.
Undeterred by the online abuse, Khelif was greeted with chants of “Imane!” while Hamori faced light booing from the crowd.
Support for Khelif has also come from the highest levels.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach defended both Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting, who faced similar scrutiny.
The IBA had disqualified both athletes in the middle of last year’s world championships, citing failed eligibility tests but refused to provide specific details about the tests.
“Let’s be very clear here: We are talking about women’s boxing,” Bach said Saturday. “We have two boxers who are born as a woman, who have been raised a woman, who have a passport as a woman, and who have competed for many years as women. And this is the clear definition of a woman. There was never any doubt about them being a woman.”
The IBA, which was banned from Olympic participation in 2019 due to conflicts with the IOC over various issues, said Khelif was disqualified last year for elevated levels of testosterone.
However, the organization has not released further details, citing confidentiality.
“What we see now is that some want to own the definition of who is a woman,” Bach added. “And there I can only invite them to come up with a scientific-based new definition of who is a woman, and how can somebody being born, raised, competed and having a passport as a woman cannot be considered a woman?
“If they are coming up with something, we are ready to listen,” Bach added. “We are ready to look into it, but we will not take part in a sometimes politically motivated cultural war.”
The situation escalated when public figures, including former US President Donald Trump and ‘Harry Potter’ author JK Rowling, falsely claimed Khelif was a man or transgender.
The comments heightened tensions, especially at a Paris Games emphasizing inclusion. LGBTQ+ groups have expressed concern that such hateful remarks pose dangers to their community and female athletes.
Amid the controversy, Khelif and Lin have both enjoyed support from audiences at the North Paris Arena.
Lin, a two-time Olympian, will aim to secure her first medal on Sunday if she defeats Svetlana Staneva of Bulgaria.
Lin comfortably won her opening bout against Uzbekistan’s Sitora Turdibekova on Friday.
“What is going on in this context in the social media, with all this hate speech, with all this aggression and abuse, and fueled by this agenda, is totally unacceptable,” Bach said.
The reduced field at the Paris Olympics boxing tournament — which has the fewest number of total boxers since 1956 — means that many fighters can clinch medals with just two victories. Boxing awards two bronze medals in each weight class, which means every semifinalist wins a medal.
The Olympic sport reached gender parity for the first time in Paris, inviting 124 men and 124 women just 12 years after women’s boxing made its Olympic debut.
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