By: Ben Xu
August 3, 2024 — Imane Khelif, an Algerian Boxer, advanced to the semi-finals, earning her at least an Olympic bronze medal. However, a raging gender controversy preceded this occurrence.
The controversy began in 2023 when two boxers, Khelif and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan, were denied the opportunity to fight in the International Boxing Association due to the belief that both boxers were transgender. However, the International Olympic Committee, which oversees the boxing competition in Paris, supports the boxers after ending the authority of the I.B.A. Thomas Bach, the I.O.C. President, said, “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.”
Khelif’s first match of the Paris Olympics was against Italy’s Angela Carini. The match lasted only 46 seconds before Carini resigned after embracing a powerful blow to the face. Later, Carini showed great respect to Khelif, encouraging her to win the finals.
Khelif faced Anna Luca Hamori of Hungary in the Women’s Welterweight Boxing quarter-final. Khelif destroyed Hamori 5-0 with fierce strikes and powerful clinches to the ground. Following the match, Khelif and her opponent shared a short but friendly exchange before Khelif dropped to her knees in tears. Her coach has argued that she has been wrongly treated due to many gender misconceptions.
August 6, 2024 – Khelif trounced Janjaem Suwanapheng of Thailand in the semi-finals. Again, she won by a score of 5-0. Finally, after intense criticism, Khelif will arrive at the Olympic finals to fight for a gold medal. “I don’t care about criticism. I care about competition. God willing, I will perform well in the final,” Khelif said following Tuesday’s bout. “I will do everything I can to make it enjoyable to watch around the world.
Sources:
https://www.npr.org/2024/08/06/g-s1-15720/imane-khelif-algerian-boxer-gender-olympic-gold