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PARIS – With an Olympic boxing gold medal hanging around his neck, Algeria’s Imane Khelif has spoken directly about the controversy surrounding his gender during the Paris Games, making him the subject of a global culture war. what all and left him with a lot of hate on the internet.
Khelif won a unanimous decision over China’s Liu Yang in the 66kg category here on Thursday, winning a tournament where some questioned his fitness and presence. The 25-year-old was disqualified from being the World Champion in 2023 because of the test that the International Boxing Association was doing. The reports showed that he has XY chromosomes.
Khelif rejected any suggestion that she is anything but a woman and noted that she has cleared all IOC criteria to participate in her second Olympics. He finished fifth in 2021 in Tokyo.
“Regarding whether I am eligible or not, or whether I am a woman or not, I am fully eligible to participate in this competition,” said Khelif.
“I’m a woman like any other woman,” he continued. “I was born a woman. I lived like a woman. I compete with a woman. There is no doubt about that.”
He also criticized his critics.
He said: “They are the enemies of my success.” That’s what I call them. This also gives my success a special flavor because of these attacks.”
A storm erupted after Khelif’s opponent quit 46 seconds into the fight declaring the Algerian too strong.
The IBA, which the IOC took over from overseeing the boxing tournament here, said it had tests that questioned the chromosomal makeup of Khelif and Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yu-ting, who will fight for gold in the 57kg category on Saturday.
Politicians and opportunists quickly started suggesting that Khelif was a transgender athlete and this was like a man beating a woman. The IOC argued, but it has not yet recovered from the production that continues around the world.
“This is not a transgender case,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said repeatedly. “There was confusion that this man was fighting with a woman. This is not so. On that there is agreement. According to science this is not a man fighting a woman.”
“We have two female boxers [sic]raised as a woman, holding a passport as a woman and competing for many years as a woman,” IOC president Thomas Bach said.
It is possible for a person to be born with full genitalia but still have XY chromosomes. Whether that is fair for the competition is something to be sorted out by the organizing bodies, but it is a far cry from suggesting that Algeria, a country that is 99 percent Muslim, was suddenly sending its first athletes. for men to win medals in women’s sports.
Khelif was raised as a girl in Biban Mesbah, a small, poor, rural village 175 kilometers southwest of Algiers. He credits his hard work and the support of his family for becoming an Olympic champion.
Although some in the West have questioned him, he is a hero in his country. The crowd here at Roland-Garros, the famous tennis venue that hosts the boxing championships, was electric, filled with Algerian fans chanting his name, waving flags and roaring with joy at his victory.
Before the award ceremony where an Algerian would stand on top of the stage, the Algerian flag would be raised above the rest and the Algerian anthem would ring out in the night of Paris, the fans would flock to each other. to the front lines. They climbed onto the chairs and pushed past the security guards just to get closer to the moment.
After that, Khelif received a call from the president of Alergia and was hailed as a role model for women in the country and throughout the Arab world.
“Algerian women are known for their determination and courage,” said Khelif.
It was just part of the night’s differences – a basic symbol of women’s equality for some, a sign of injustice for others.
It is clear that most of the boxing world respects and supports him. Liu, meanwhile, repeatedly shook hands with Khelif on Friday and hugged him after the fight. Liu’s corner also gave thanks.
As for the IBA, Khelif said he has fought under its umbrella since 2018 and he does not understand why it decided to ban him in 2023, let alone publish a review recorded during these Games.
The IOC stripped the IBA of overseeing Olympic boxing due to repeated allegations of corruption and refereeing scandals. It is heavily influenced by Russia, which the IOC had also banned from these Olympics.
This is not to say that the IBA’s attempts are wrong, but it is not to be believed that it would have an interest in spreading confusion over the events in Paris.
As with everything in this story, what is true and what is not is the ultimate question.
“Now [the IBA is] they are no longer recognized, and they hate me,” said Khelif. “And I don’t know why. I really don’t know why. I sent them one message with this gold medal: I say my dignity, respect mine is above all things.”
Khelif says he has dismissed the social media vitriol and focused on his competition, but hopes it can serve as an example of why it must stop.
“They should avoid bullying,” Khelif said. I hope people will stop bullying.
It won’t be that easy, but nothing in this matter has happened. Issues about chromosomes, experiments, competitive equality and politics have been all over the place.
“We strive to continue to provide safe, fair and inclusive sports,” said the IOC’s Adams. “These three things can be difficult to combine sometimes.”
In the end, Khelif came out on top, a gold medalist and champion champion in his country, and now he answered any question of whether he deserved it.
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