By: Claire Zhou

At the Paris Olympics, Imane Khelif, a 25 year old from Algeria, made it through the women’s boxing tournament, moving on to the semifinals on Saturday. This will give Khelif her first ever Olympic medal. This event has also brought out a huge cultural conflict, because there has been rumors that she may be trans.

Khelif and another fellow fighter, Lin Yu-ting from Taiwan, both have been under intense scrutiny. Both boxers had originally been blocked from entering last year’s championships that were hosted by the Russian-led International Boxing Association.

Recently, the International Olympic Committee, who has supported the boxer’s rights, is sticking up for them, repeatedly stating that they are women, and not trangender.

On Saturday, Thomas Bach, president of I.O.C., told reporters, “We have two boxers who are born as a woman, who have been raised as a woman, who have a passport as a woman and who have competed for many years as a woman. This is the clear definition of a woman. There was never any doubt about them being a woman.”

The fight that brought out the uproar was when Khelif had defeated Anna Luca Hamori, from Hungary, during the 66 kilogram (144.5 pounds) bout, viciously taking the crown. After the results were finalized, Hamori was in tears before she even reached her rest area. Hamori’s coach argued that it was unfair as he led Hamori down the stairs.

Afterwards, Khelif was interviewed by journalists, and she said, “I have been boxing for years in the International Boxing Association which has committed an injustice toward me, but I have Allah by my side.”

This event spread across the internet, as Khelif’s first fight in Paris lasted only 46 seconds. Her opponent withdrew after one striking blow on the face.