Imane Khelif speaks up: Boxer wants her bullying to stop as gender row escalates at 2024 Paris Olympics
PARIS, FRANCE: Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has broken her silence on the ongoing Olympic controversy.
The athlete called to end bullying over the accusations of her false gender after Italian opponent Angela Carini withdrew during their match at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The two fought for 46 seconds and the Italian chose not to shake hands with her after the fight. Carini was seen crying in the ring and said, "Non e giusto" — "It's not fair" in Italian.
Global outcry over Imane Khelif's controversial inclusion in Paris Olympics
Since the Imane Khelif-Angela Carini boxing match, it became global news, and former president Donald Trump also reacted to the development during one of his rallies, calling the competition unfair.
Earlier, Khelif was removed from the 2023 world championships after allegedly failing tests that proved she has male XY chromosomes.
The Algerian boxer has opened up on the ongoing issue for the first time and asked “all the people of the world to uphold the Olympic principles, according to the Olympic Charter," she told AP.
Khelif said bullying “can destroy people; it can kill people's thoughts, spirit, and mind. And it can divide people,” reported Euro News.
She admitted that her family is concerned about her, “They are worried about me. God willing, this crisis will culminate in a gold medal and that would be the best response."
On her relationship with Carini over the years, “The coaches have known me since I was young in the national team, and I used to train with them. The (Italian) boxer herself knew me and knew me well.”
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What did Imane Khelif's coach say about her gender issue?
Imane Khelif's coach, Mohamed Chaoua, added to the conversation, saying that "in the Algerian state ... changing (one's) gender is not allowed."
"Even in developing country this operations are costly, if Imane had the funds to do as people are alleging and accusing her she'd rather feed herself, buy bread and clothes and live like the rest of her friends," Chaoua said.
Khelif was emotional after her win over Hungary’s Anna Hamori as she now moved to to the semi-finals. Her next game is against Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand. This means she'd be fighting for a gold medal in Paris.
