Back in 2023, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif was disqualified from world championships for failing an unspecified gender eligibility test. But now all eyes are on her after Khelif’s first Olympic boxing bout on Thursday as Italian opponent Angela Carini withdrew from the battle after just 46 seconds of action.
In yet another controversy Khelif's participation at the Paris Olympics has caused a huge uproar, with the Russian-led International Boxing Association (IBA) slamming the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for allowing the Algerian boxer to compete in the contest.
Who is Imane Khelif?
Imane Khalif is a 25-year-old boxer from Algeria who is competing in the women’s 66 kg (welterweight) boxing event at the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024.
She is currently the UNICEF ambassador and is originally from Tiaret. She used to play football before converting to boxing. She has previously talked about how her father forbade her from participating in sports when she was growing up in a small hamlet because "he did not approve of boxing for girls."
The popular boxer, who is currently in the news due to a gender dispute surrounding the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, made her professional debut in the 2018 World Championships, placing 17th after losing in the opening round. She was ousted in the first round once more in the 2019 World Championships, where she finished in 33rd place.
She represented Algeria in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as well and managed to reach the quarterfinals.
She created history in 2022 by reaching the final of the World Championship but had to settle for a silver medal.
Back in 2023, IBA President Umar Kremlev, said about Khelif’s disqualification that , “Based on DNA tests, we identified a number of athletes who tried to trick their colleagues into posing as women. According to the results of the tests, it was proved that they have XY chromosomes. Such athletes were excluded from competition."
Win in 46 seconds
On Thursday, August 1, Imane played her first match at the Paris Olympics 2024 against Angela Carini of Italy. Carini withdrew from the contest after just 46 seconds of competition, and Imane won. Carini is receiving a lot of criticism in spite of her victory.
But the IOC, together with the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit, has come out to her support and sent out a joint statement saying every athlete participating at the 2024 Games in Paris complied with their regulations.
“Every person has the right to practice sport without discrimination," it said. “All athletes participating in the boxing tournament of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 comply with the competition’s eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations set by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit (PBU)."