Imane Khelif, Algerian Boxer at the Center of Gender Row, Now Guaranteed an Olympic Medal

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who has faced scrutiny through the Paris Games, is now guaranteed at least an Olympic bronze medal, after defeating Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori in a unanimous decision in the quarterfinals. 

Khelif’s opening-fight defeat of Angela Carini of Italy on Thursday—Carini withdrew after 46 seconds—sparked international outrage given that the International Boxing Association (IBA) claimed last year that she failed an unspecified gender test at the World Women’s Boxing Championships in New Delhi, disqualifying her from the event.

Today, however, a pro-Algeria, pro-Khelif  faction at North Paris Arena in Villepinte, France, gave her a practical home-field advantage. 

Isamel Lyaakoubi, a chemical engineer from Paris who still has family in the North African nation, wrapped himself in the Algerian flag. “Some people have made very bad comments to her,” says Lyaakoubi, referring to the torrent of online abuse Khelif has faced—from American politicians and media commentators and others—due to the gender controversy. “It’s very important to be there to represent our country, to represent Imane.” He called it a moment of unity for the nation.

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“It’s political,” says Noura Dele, who was born in Algeria and now works in commercial finance, referring to the backlash. Dele called it “defamation.” She finds Khelif’s story—her mother sold couscous to raise money for her boxing lessons, and her father, who did not originally approve of boxing for girls, told AFP from a rural village outside Tiaret, Algeria: “My child is a girl. She was raised as a girl. She is a strong girl–I raised her to work and be brave."

“Today,” says Dele, “all the people want to give power to Imane.”

The fight was civil, as Khelif clearly connected on more punches and showcased superior quickness to her opponent. They slapped gloves, in a gesture of sportsmanship, after the second of three rounds. After the decision for Khelif was made official, they exchanged a sort of friendly half-hug. 

Khelif cried tears of joy after her victory, knowing she clinched a medal. “They bullied her! They bullied her! Long live Algeria!” her coach shouted as Khelif walked out of the ring. 

Addressing reporters in Hungarian after the fight, Hamori said the bout was fair, according to a Hungarian journalist who interpreted Hamori’s words for English-speaking journalists. “That was my childhood dream,” said Hamori, who is making her Olympic debut, in English. “So I am so happy and I wish good luck to my opponent and the others in the finals.” Hamori did not take questions in English.

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“I am not scared,” Hamori said after her fight on Thursday, about the prospect of facing Khelif today. “If she or he is a man, it will be a bigger victory for me if I win. So let’s do it.” Hamori appeared to have shared posts on her Instagram story that called Khelif a “male boxer” and depicted her opponent as a beast. She then appeared to delete them.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has criticized the protocol and veracity of tests administered by the IBA, the body that disqualified Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting, a boxer who competes for Chinese Taipei, from those 2023 championships. The IOC stripped the IBA of its status as boxing’s world governing body last year. The IBA said yesterday it would award $100,000 in prize money to Carini, her coach, and the Italian federation.

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“I couldn’t look at her tears,” IBA president Umar Kremlev, who is from Russia—a country whose Olympic teams are excluded from these Games, but has individual athletes in some competitions—said in a statement. “I am not indifferent to such situations, and I can assure that we will protect each boxer. I do not understand why they kill women’s boxing. Only eligible athletes should compete in the ring for the sake of safety.”

In a press conference Saturday morning, IOC president Thomas Bach reiterated that neither Khelif nor Yu-Ting is transgender. “We have two boxers who were (each) 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,” said Bach. “And this is the clear definition of a woman. There was never any doubt about them (each) being a woman.”

The international TV media mob–in the dozens if not hundreds, as if this were a Vegas prizefight– shouted questions and rustled for position. “I want to tell the entire world that I am a female, and I will remain a female,” Khelif said. She said the IBA was committing “injustice,” toward her: Khelif walked past print reporters without taking questions. Boxing has no bronze-medal fights, so even if she loses to Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand in the semifinals of the 66-kg weight class on Tuesday, she’ll earn one of the two bronzes in her weight class.

Balazs Furjes, a Hungarian member of the IOC, told reporters after the match that Hamori never considered declining to fight Khelif. “We are ready to fight under difficult circumstances,” he said. Furjes said the IOC must carefully evaluate its policies after the Games. “We are 100% convinced that the International Olympic Committee will make the right decisions.” Furjes said. 

Was it a fair fight?, I asked him.

“We have said what must have been said,” Furjes replied. “Thank you very much.”