Imane Khelif wins Olympic gold medal after breaking her silence on gender row
Algeria's Imane Khelif has been under intense scrutiny during the Olympics after being disqualified by the International Boxing Association (IBA) from last year’s World Championships after failing gender eligibility tests - although no concrete proof
Imane Khelif landed an Olympic Gold medal as the Algerian boxer brushed aside the gender row that has dogged her participation in Paris.
Backed at Roland Garros by a vociferous crowd - with the Algerian supporters who had entered the arena en masse and waited all night to support Khelif making their voices heard - she had too much for her opponent, 2023 world champion Yang Liu.
Khelif was too good for the No.2 seed in the opening round, winning on all the judges' scorecards, and the experienced Chinese didn't have much more joy in the second round either - again losing on each of the judges' scorecards.
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And while Liu was game, she was unable to breach Khelif's defences in the final round, as the Algerian continued to dominate, ultimately claiming her country's first-ever female boxing gold medal with a unanimous 5-0 win to claim the women's 66kg title.
The announcement of Khelif's victory led to jubilation both in the ring and in the stands, as the Algerians in attendance went wild for Khelif, who leapt into the arms of her coach, a huge smile across her face.
She duly produced some dance moves in the centre of the ring as she celebrated, before stepping out to thank fans who had backed her in the arena.
Her victory comes after Khelif attempted to sidestep the row about her gender this week, breaking her silence to declare: “I don’t care what anyone is saying about me with the controversy.
“All that is important to me is that I stay on the level and give my people the performance they deserve. I know I’m a talented person and this is a gift to all Algerians.”
Khelif's win also comes after Olympics chief Thomas Bach rejected the suggestion that her inclusion - and that of Lin Yu-ting - at the Games has been prioritised over fairness and the safety of other female boxers.
The IOC president reiterated his support for both on Friday, saying: “This is not a question of inclusion, this has never played a role in all this, this is a question of justice: women must be allowed to take part in women’s competitions. And the two are women.
“It is not as easy (as those) in this cultural war may want to portray it, that the XX or XY is the clear distinction between men and women.
“This is scientifically not true anymore. Therefore these two are women and they have the right to participate in the women’s competition. This has nothing to do with inclusion in any way.”
The IOC confirmed Khelif and Lin had “complied” with entry regulations although the organisation abolished gender verification testing at the turn of the century due to scientific advice, as well as its intrusive nature, potentially – as Bach noted – violating an athlete’s human rights.
Asked whether the IOC would revisit the gender issue, Bach said: “If someone is presenting us a scientifically solid system how to identify men and women, we are the first ones to do it.
“We do not like this uncertainty, we do not like it for the overall situation, we would be more than pleased to look into it.
“But what is not possible is that somebody saying ‘this is not a women’ just by looking at somebody or falling prey to a defamation campaign by a not credible organisation with highly political interests.”
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