Paris Olympics: Imane Khelif calls for end to bullying over gender row

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Boxer Imane Khelif is guaranteed a medal when she takes on Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng in her Olympic semi-final, but the Algerian said the wave of hateful scrutiny she has faced over misconceptions about her gender "harms human dignity," and she called for an end to bullying athletes.

Khelif said she had been greatly affected by the international backlash against her. She spoke about her Olympic experience in an interview with SNTV, a sports video partner of the Associated Press.

“I send a message to all the people of the world to uphold the Olympic principles and the Olympic Charter, to refrain from bullying all athletes, because this has effects, massive effects,” Khelif said in Arabic. "It can destroy people, it can kill people’s thoughts, spirit and mind. It can divide people. And because of that, I ask them to refrain from bullying.”

The victories of Khelif and fellow boxer Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan in the ring have become one of the biggest stories of the Paris Games. Both women have clinched their first Olympic medals even as they have faced scrutiny based on unsubstantiated claims about their gender.

Khelif, 25, acknowledged the pressure and pain of enduring this ordeal while competing far from home in the most important event of her athletic career.

“I am in contact with my family two days a week. I hope that they weren’t affected deeply,” she said. “They are worried about me. God willing, this crisis will culminate in a gold medal, and that would be the best response.”

The vitriol stems from Khelif's first bout at the Games when her Italian opponent, Angela Carini, quit after 46 seconds.

Khelif's emphatic win in the opening round of the 66kg competition drew widespread criticism, with even Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni weighing in, describing it as a fight that was "not on an equal footing".

The Algerian – along with Taiwan's Lin – was disqualified from the 2023 IBA World Championships but was reinstated by the IOC who deemed both women eligible to box in Paris.

The International Boxing Association (IBA), which has been permanently banned from the Olympics over concerns over the organisation's integrity and governance, claimed that both Khelif and Lin failed unspecified eligibility tests for the women's competition at last year's world championships.

World Boxing, which hopes to take over the running of boxing at the Olympics from the next Games in Los Angeles in 2028, also defended Khelif, saying their was "not one single test" to prove either Khelif or Lin were transgender.

Khelif declined to answer when asked whether she had undergone tests other than doping tests, saying she didn’t want to talk about it.

She expressed gratitude to the International Olympic Committee and its president, Thomas Bach, for standing resolutely behind her while the banned former governing body of Olympic boxing stoked a furore around her participation in Paris.

“I know that the Olympic Committee has done me justice, and I am happy with this remedy because it shows the truth,” she said.

She also has seen massive support at her bouts, drawing cheers when she enters the arena and crowds waving Algerian flags chanting her first name.

Khelif's victory over Hungary's Luca Anna Hamori by unanimous decision in her quarter-final on Saturday means Algeria is guaranteed at least a bronze medal.

Khelif repeatedly made clear she won't allow chatter or accusations to deter her from attempting to claim Algeria's first Olympic gold medal in women's boxing when she takes on Suwannapheng. That bout is slated for 12.23am Wednesday UAE time.

“I don’t care about anyone’s opinion,” Khelif said. "I came here for a medal, and to compete for a medal. I will certainly be competing to improve [and] be better, and God willing, I will improve, like every other athlete.”

Although she is aware of the worldwide discussion about her, Khelif said she has been somewhat removed.

Khelif is used to overcoming obstacles.

Raised in the rural village of Tiaret in western Algeria, Khelif excelled at football as a teenager, despite the game largely seen as one not fit for girls.

At 16 she would often endure the jealousy of her male counterparts, with some, she says, expressing their frustrations physically.

The boys in her village felt threatened and picked fights with her. Ironically, it was her ability to dodge the boys’ punches that got her into boxing.

If making her mark in a male-dominated game like football was hard then boxing proved even more of a challenge. Khelif faced resistance from within her own family – her father initially did not approve of her new pursuit – and she was forced to travel to the next village 10 kilometres away each week to find a boxing gym that would accommodate her.

That meant money for a bus fare when the family's finances were already stretched. To raise money, Khelif sold scrap metal for recycling and her mother sold couscous. Together they were able to afford the bus to the town for Khelif to have regular boxing training sessions.

“I started with nothing and now I have everything,” she said in an interview with Unicef before the Paris Olympics. “Both my parents come to support me. They are my biggest fans."