Algerian boxer and Paris 2024 gold medallist Imane Khelif has condemned the International Boxing Association (IBA) after the organisation made fresh claims about her gender.
The IBA said on Monday it is to take legal action against the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over the inclusion of Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting at last year's Games.
The two female boxers were excluded from the IBA's 2023 World Championships after claims they failed gender eligibility tests, but the IOC cleared them to fight and both went on to win gold medals in Paris.
The IOC organised the boxing last summer following the expulsion of the IBA from the Olympic movement after financial and ethical irregularities.
Neither Khelif nor Lin are transgender women. Both were born and raised as women, which is how they are registered on their passports.
The IBA said their decision to take legal action was motivated by US President Donald Trump's executive order seeking to ban transgender athletes from participating in women's sports.
Khelif released a statement via her Instagram account late on Tuesday accusing the IBA of making “baseless accusations that are false and offensive” to “further their agenda”.
“For eight years, I have fought for my dream – eight years of sacrifice, discipline and perseverance to stand on the Olympic stage and represent my country with pride, and I will continue to stand firm in the face of any challenge,” the statement read.
“For two years, I have taken the high road while my name and image have been used, unauthorised, to further personal and political agendas through the spreading and dissemination of baseless lies and misinformation. But silence is no longer an option.
“The International Boxing Association (IBA), an organisation that I am no longer associated with and which is no longer recognised by the International Olympic Committee, have again made baseless accusations that are false and offensive, using them to further their agenda. This is a matter that concerns not just me but the broader principles of fairness and due process in sport.”
On Monday, the IBA said it is “filing an official complaint with the Attorney General of Switzerland ... regarding the IOC's actions”. The body added that it was filing similar complaints in France and the United States.
“President Trump's order to ban transgender athletes from women's sport validates IBA's efforts to protect the integrity of female sports,” claimed IBA president Umar Kremlev, a controversial figure with links to the Kremlin.
However, the IOC dismissed the IBA's position, telling AFP: “This IBA statement is just another example of IBA's campaign against the IOC which is continuing since their recognition was withdrawn by the IOC for issues related to governance, judging and refereeing as well as questions around their finances. The two female athletes mentioned by IBA are not transgender athletes.
“They were born as women, were raised as women, and have competed in the women's category for their entire boxing careers, including at previous international competitions such as the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, when both of them did not win a medal.
“They also competed in IBA World Championships and IBA-sanctioned tournaments before they became victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA.
“Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023 they were disqualified, without any due process,” it added.
Mr Trump last week falsely called Khelif a male and signed an executive order banning transgender girls and women from competing in women's sports.
Surrounded by dozens of girls and women, many in sporting attire, Mr Trump gave examples of transgender women participating in women's sports including, wrongly, Khelif.
“And who could forget last year's Paris Olympics, where a male boxer stole the women's gold medal after brutalising his female opponent so viciously that she had to forfeit just after 46 seconds, and she was a championship fighter,” Mr Trump said during the ceremony.
He was referring to Khelif's first round win over Italy's Angela Carini. The Italian quit the bout after 46 seconds in tears, claiming that she had never been punched so hard in her career. She later apologised for her behaviour. According to Boxrec, Khelif has an amateur record of 46-9 with just seven wins by stoppage.
The incident led to a harassment campaign against her on social media involving a number of high-profile figures – including Mr Trump and the British author JK Rowling.
She received enormous backing, both in the stands in Paris and back home in Algeria, where she was later given a rapturous welcome on her return after defeating China's Yang Liu to top the podium.
The false claims did not stop there though, and last December Khelif said that any future efforts to question her gender would lead to legal action.
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Profile of Whizkey
Date founded: 04 November 2017
Founders: Abdulaziz AlBlooshi and Harsh Hirani
Based: Dubai, UAE
Number of employees: 10
Sector: AI, software
Cashflow: Dh2.5 Million
Funding stage: Series A
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Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.
Stat of the day – 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.
The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227-4 at the close.
Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
2.0
Director: S Shankar
Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films
Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
8 traditional Jamaican dishes to try at Kingston 21
- Trench Town Rock: Jamaican-style curry goat served in a pastry basket with a carrot and potato garnish
- Rock Steady Jerk Chicken: chicken marinated for 24 hours and slow-cooked on the grill
- Mento Oxtail: flavoured oxtail stewed for five hours with herbs
- Ackee and salt fish: the national dish of Jamaica makes for a hearty breakfast
- Jamaican porridge: another breakfast favourite, can be made with peanut, cornmeal, banana and plantain
- Jamaican beef patty: a pastry with ground beef filling
- Hellshire Pon di Beach: Fresh fish with pickles
- Out of Many: traditional sweet potato pudding
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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How it works
Each player begins with one of the great empires of history, from Julius Caesar's Rome to Ramses of Egypt, spread over Europe and the Middle East.
Round by round, the player expands their empire. The more land they have, the more money they can take from their coffers for each go.
As unruled land and soldiers are acquired, players must feed them. When a player comes up against land held by another army, they can choose to battle for supremacy.
A dice-based battle system is used and players can get the edge on their enemy with by deploying a renowned hero on the battlefield.
Players that lose battles and land will find their coffers dwindle and troops go hungry. The end goal? Global domination of course.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE
Price, base / as tested Dh274,000 (estimate)
Engine 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder
Gearbox Nine-speed automatic
Power 245hp @ 4,200rpm
Torque 500Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
Rooney's club record
At Everton Appearances: 77; Goals: 17
At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
The biog
From: Ras Al Khaimah
Age: 50
Profession: Electronic engineer, worked with Etisalat for the past 20 years
Hobbies: 'Anything that involves exploration, hunting, fishing, mountaineering, the sea, hiking, scuba diving, and adventure sports'
Favourite quote: 'Life is so simple, enjoy it'
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Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
