The Olympic committee responsible for the welfare of boxer Imane Khelif have hit out at those saying she shouldn't be allowed to fight in the women's event due to previously failed gender eligibility tests.
Khelif, 25, made headlines on Thursday (1 August) after she beat her Italian opponent in just 46 seconds.
Italy's Angela Carini withdrew from the bout less than a minute in with a suspected broken nose. She left the ring in tears after refusing a handshake from Khelif, who is representing Algeria at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The boxing match was quickly picked up on across the globe by media outlets and those on social media, with particular attention given to Khelif previously being banned from fighting in women's boxing events due to failing a gender eligibility test.
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Khelif was thrown out of the 2023 IBA Women's World Boxing Championships shortly before the gold medal fight in New Delhi, India, after organisers made her do the eligibility test.
International Boxing Association (IBA) president Umar Kremlev said the DNA test showed Khelif to have the male XY chromosome. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), which runs the Olympic boxing events, said the disqualification was as a result of elevated levels of testosterone in her system.
The IOC confirmed on Thursday that it allowed allowed Khelif to compete in women's boxing at the 2024 Paris Olympics due to her meeting the criteria they set out.
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"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," the statement said.
"As with previous Olympic boxing competitions, the gender and age of the athletes are based on their passport."
The Algerian Olympic Committee (AOC) has since released its own statement backing their fighter, labelling her their 'champion and heroine'.
The AOC said: " The International Olympic Committee has reaffirmed its commitment to ensure that all athletes participating in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games comply with the eligibility and compliance rules.
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"Our team athletes, including our champion, have always adhered to these regulations in all international competitions. We strongly support our heroine and continue to defend her rights as a fair and qualified competition."
It continued: "After taking all necessary measures to protect our champion, we wish to inform the public that the International Olympic Committee (CIO) has issued a statement clarifying that there are no cases of boxers ineligible to participate in competitions.
"The CIO has reaffirmed its commitment to ensure that all athletes participating in the Paris Olympics 2024 comply with eligibility and compliance rules. Our athletes, including our champion, have always followed these regulations in all international competitions. We strongly support our athlete and continue to defend her rights as a fair and skilled competitor."
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Khelif has fought 50 times in her career, losing on nine occasions. She has only produced stoppages five times in those 41 wins.
Irish boxer Amy Broadhurst, who represented Team GB at the Paris Games, beat Khelif back in the 2022 IBA Women's World Boxing Championships.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter) after Khelif's victory against Carini, Broadhurst wrote: "Have a lot of people texting me over Imane Khelif. Personally I don’t think she has done anything to ‘cheat’.
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"I thinks it’s the way she was born and that’s out of her control. The fact that she has been [beaten] by nine females before says it all."
Khelif will fight Luca Hamori of Hungary in the quarter finals of the women's 66kg competition. She will face the top seed, Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey, in the semi finals if she can defeat the Hungarian.
Topics: Boxing, Olympics, Sport, Imane Khelif
Tom Earnshaw