'I am a female': Algerian boxer Imane Khelif hits out as tears flow in Olympic gender storm
Updated . First published at
PARIS: Algerian boxer Imane Khelif declared, "I am a female, and I will remain a female", after an emotion-charged Olympic quarter-final win amid questions being asked of her place in the women's competition.
Khelif defeated Hungary's Anna Luca Hamori 5-0 at the North Paris Arena on Sunday morning (AEST), securing her place in the semi-finals of the women's 66kg category and guaranteeing herself a medal.
Khelif is one of two boxers whose inclusion in the women's category at the Paris Games has ignited controversy. The other is Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan, who's fighting in the 57kg division and is set for a quarter-final bout against Svetlana Kamenova of Bulgaria.
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Khelif and Lin were both banned from competing at last year's boxing world championships because the International Boxing Association (IBA), which has since been banned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from governing the sport, said they had failed unspecified gender eligibility tests.
"This is a matter of dignity and honour for every woman or female," Khelif told BeIN Sports immediately after her quarter-final bout in Paris.
"The entire Arab people have known me for years. For years I have been boxing in international federation competitions, they [IBA] were unfair with me.
"But I have God.
Algeria's Imane Khelif (red) fighting Italian Angela Carini in the Olympic quarter-finals. Richard Pelham/Getty Image
"I want to tell the entire world that I am a female, and I will remain a female.
"I dedicate this medal to the world and to all the Arabs, and I tell you, 'Long live Algeria'."
A crowd dominated by Algerians created a deafening wall of noise in support of the under-siege fighter, roaring, chanting and whistling as Algerian flags waved in the stands.
"I-mane, I-mane!" the Algerians chanted, almost lifting the roof off the venue.
Some boos could be heard, but they were largely drowned out by the patriotic Algerian spectators.
As Khelif made her way through the media mixed zone in the moments after her win, she was flanked by aggressive men shouting in frustration amid the controversy.
Khelif spoke to some TV crews but was then whisked straight past a massive cohort of press journalists, which included this correspondent, as the boxer and her camp rushed to get away from the mayhem.
Imane Khelif in tears after her quarter-final win. Richard Pelham/Getty Images
Khelif's quarter-final opponent chose her words carefully when quizzed after the bout.
"This was a hard fight but I think I did everything that I wanted before the fight and I think it was a good fight," Hamori said.
"I'm so proud of myself and I'm so grateful to be here. This was a very good competition for me and it was my childhood dream so I'm so happy.
"I wish good luck to my opponent and the others in the finals, and I'm so thankful for my coaches, for the Hungarian team and for my family, and for everybody who gave me some support."
Algerian flags in the crowd at the boxing arena. Richard Pelham/Getty Images
Khelif will face Thailand's Janjaem Suwannapheng in the semi-finals. Regardless of the result, Khelif will win at least a bronze medal because all Olympic boxing semi-finalists are guaranteed medals.
The Algerian's first opponent of the Games, Italian Angela Carini, quit the fight after 46 seconds, scared for her health.
Khelif's first opponent refused to shake hands after their fight, but Hamori did so after the quarter-final bout.
That was despite publishing a highly inflammatory post on social media ahead of the quarter-final showdown, depicting a small woman facing off against a beast under the Olympic rings. The post has since been deleted.
IOC President Thomas Bach defended the inclusion of Khelif and Lin in the women's competition.
"Let's be very clear, we are talking about women's boxing," Bach said ahead of Khelif's quarter-final clash.
"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 saga has garnered so much media interest that about 20 reporters, including this correspondent, watched Khelif's quarter-final sitting in the aisles or in seats with the punters.
Former US President Donald Trump, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni and legendary British author J.K. Rowling are among the high-profile people who've weighed in on the gender drama rumbling at the Paris Games.
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