Imane Khelif calls for people to ‘refrain from bullying’ amid Olympics gender row
"It wasn’t an easy thing to go through at all. It was something that harms human dignity"
The Algerian boxer, Imane Khelif, has called for people to “refrain from bullying” amid a row over her eligibility to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
It comes after days of misinformation and unsubstantiated claims concerning the 25-year-old’s gender as well as that of Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting. Both are competing in the women’s competition and guaranteed to return home with medals.
Speaking in her first proper interview since the furore began, Khelif told the broadcaster SNTV that the situation had already had “massive effects.” As per The Telegraph, she said, “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. It can destroy people, it can kill people’s thoughts, spirit, and mind. It can divide people. And because of that, I ask them to refrain from bullying.”
“I don’t care about anyone’s opinion” – Imane Khelif
Khelif continued: “I am in contact with my family two days a week. I hope that they weren’t affected deeply. They are worried about me. God willing, this crisis will culminate in a gold medal, and that would be the best response.
“I know that the Olympic Committee has done me justice, and I am happy with this remedy because it shows the truth. I don’t care about anyone’s opinion; I came here for a medal, and to compete for a medal.” Khelif then said the frenzy had “greatly affected” her. “Honestly, she continued, “it wasn’t an easy thing to go through at all. It was something that harms human dignity.”
The row over Khelif, who was assigned female at birth and identifies as a woman, ratcheted up after her first fight on Thursday (1 August). She faced Italy’s Angela Carini, who abandoned the fight after 46 seconds. Carini was heard saying “It’s not fair” and that she’d quit to “save my life.” Carini then refused to shake Khelif’s hand after the fight. She has since said she regretted this and has apologised to Khelif. As per the BBC, Carini has also said, “If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision.” Khelif then beat Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori on Saturday (3 August)
However, many people, including JK Rowling, Donald Trump, and Elon Musk picked up on the Khelif-Carini fight and quickly began spreading, with no evidence, the idea that Khelif was transgender and that her inclusion in the women’s game was unfair.
“The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision” – IOC
The misinformation was aided by a decision from the 2023 World Championships. There, Khelif was disqualified hours before her gold-medal match. The decision was made by the International Boxing Association (IBA) which was suspended by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2019 over issues with governance and corruption.
At the time the IBA, which also disqualified Lin, said it was because both had “failed to meet the eligibility criteria for participating in the women’s competition.” Both had competed in the 2022 World Championships with no issues. IBA chief executive, Chris Roberts, told the BBC recently that male XY chromosomes were found in both athletes. He also said the tests, the details of which remain unclear, were done after “ongoing concerns” were raised at the 2023 event. The disqualifications happened to follow Khelif’s victory over Russia’s Azalia Amineva. The IBA has been run by the Russian Umar Kremlev, a close ally of the Kremlin, since 2020.
However, the IOC has raised concerns about the legitimacy of these tests saying the IBA made an “arbitrary decision” and that Khelif and Lin were disqualified “without any due process.” In a statement supporting the two boxers the IOC confirmed that all boxers had met eligibility criteria. It also said: “The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure – especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years.”
As per the IOC’s guidance on trans athletes competing in women’s competitions, it’s up to each sporting body to decide eligibility criteria. As per the BBC, the guidance around boxing has not been updated since 2020. The IOC currently manages Olympic boxing.