Imane Khelif wins gold medal in boxing. How the Algerian became the target of controversy.
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif won the gold medal Friday in women’s welterweight boxing at the Paris Olympics. She defeated China's Yang Liu in a unanimous decision by the judges.
Her previous two victories were also unanimous. But the now Olympic champion's late matches have become overshadowed by a misinformation-filled fight raging over social media.
International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach has passionately defended Khelif, who, along with another boxer, has been the subject of widespread misinformation about their gender. Bach condemned the “hate speech” against the two athletes, saying the attacks were “totally unacceptable.”
Khelif herself has called for an end to the bullying of athletes, saying it violates the spirit of the Olympics and has "massive effects" on competitors.
Here’s the latest on the controversy.
?? The initial fight
Khelif easily dispatched Italian boxer Angela Carini on Aug. 1 in the opening seconds of their bout. Carini told her coach that she could not continue the fight after just 46 seconds. “She’s too strong,” Carini said, according to her coach.
The controversy kicked off because critics quickly noted that Khelif and another boxer, Taiwan’s featherweight Lin Yu-ting, both failed an unspecified gender eligibility test conducted last year by the International Boxing Association (IBA) for the World Boxing Championships in New Delhi. However, that ruling has no bearing on the Olympics, which last year stopped recognizing the IBA as a governing body of the sport, citing issues with the group’s financial transparency, governance and fairness.
In fact, the IOC sharply criticized the IBA’s “sudden and arbitrary decision,” over the two athletes, which it said was taken “without any proper procedure — especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years.”
Read More:
Olympic boxer Imane Khelif gender controversy explained by health experts. “(Khelif's) blowout win over Carini has reignited a debate over biology, genetics and fairness in athletics. It’s also set off a firestorm of misinformation about her gender and eligibility to compete in the Olympics.” [Yahoo News]
?? Wave of misinformation
Khelif is a woman and was assigned female at birth, according to an IOC spokesperson. Despite that, many online critics falsely labeled Khelif as transgender after her victory over Carini, fanning the flames over the issue of transgender women competing in women’s sports — a hot-button political issue in the U.S.
“I WILL KEEP MEN OUT OF WOMEN’S SPORTS!” former President Donald Trump declared on his social media platform. The Republican presidential nominee included a video of Khelif’s fight to make it clear who he was talking about. His running mate, Sen. JD Vance, echoed that message and used the Paris Olympics controversy as an opportunity to attack their Democratic opponent. “This is where Kamala Harris's ideas about gender lead: to a grown man pummeling a woman in a boxing match,” he declared.
“This is the purest form of evil unfolding right before our eyes,” influencer and boxer Logan Paul posted on X. He then deleted his tweet.
"OOPSIES," he wrote in a follow-up message. "I might be guilty of spreading misinformation along with the entirety of this app. .... I stand by my sentiment."
??? Khelif calls for an end to bullying
The boxer Sunday night called for an end to bullying of athletes and said the attack against her "harms human dignity."
“I send a message to all the people of the world to uphold the Olympic principles and the Olympic Charter, to refrain from bullying all athletes, because this has effects, massive effects,” Khelif said in Arabic in an interview, according to the Associated Press.
?? 'We are talking about women's boxing'
Bach, the president of the IOC, defended both Khelif and Lin on Saturday when asked about the controversy.
“Let’s be very clear here. We are talking about women’s boxing,” he said. “We have two boxers who were born as women, who have been raised as women, who have passports 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.”
He continued: “What we see now is that some want to own the definition of who is a woman. And there I can only invite them to come up with a scientific-based new definition of who is a woman, and how can someone being born, raised, competed and having a passport as a woman, cannot be considered a woman?”
Khelif is indeed no stranger to international women’s boxing, having competed at major tournaments over the past six years, including the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. She has won over 30 fights and lost 9 according to BoxRec, a website that tracks international boxing matches.
?? Carini apologizes
Carini didn’t shake Khelif’s hand after quitting her match. She sank to her knees. “I am heartbroken because I am a fighter,” a tearful Carini said after the match, according to the Associated Press.
On Aug. 2, Carini apologized and said she would “embrace” Khelif if they met again.
"It wasn't something I intended to do," Carini told an Italian sports publication. "Actually, I want to apologize to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke."
“All this controversy makes me sad,” Carini added.
????? Khelif's father speaks out
Khelif’s father, Amar Khelif, told the Daily Mail that the attacks against his daughter “are immoral, it is not fair.”
He also spoke with Reuters in the Algerian city of Tiaret, showing an official-looking document with her birthday.
"This is our family official document, May 2, 1999, Imane Khelif, female. It is written here you can read it, this document doesn't lie," he said.
"Having such a daughter is an honor because she is a champion, she honored me and I encourage her and I hope she will get the medal in Paris," he said. "Imane is a little girl that has loved sport since she was six-years-old."
? Read more
Imane Khelif, boxer at center of gender controversy, wins in unanimous decision. “Khelif collapsed in sobs as she left the ring, and said little after the fight beyond dedicating the match to her native Algeria.” [Yahoo Sports]
Imane Khelif moves on to gold medal bout with another unanimous victory. "Khelif again used her reach advantage, keeping Suwannapheng at a distance before landing jabs." [Yahoo Sports]
Father of Algerian boxer Khelif says he is honored by his daughter. “Amar Khelif said he was proud of his daughter, and backed her to win a medal for all of all Algeria” [Reuters]
Olympic fans cheer on Imane Khelif during win after she faced days of online abuse. “A large contingent of Algerian supporters called her name and waved flags.” [Associated Press]
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