Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has said unfounded accusations against her gender are “damaging to human dignity” and called for an end to the abuse of athletes.
“I send a message to everyone in the world to defend the Olympic principles and the Olympic Charter, to refrain from intimidating all athletes because it has consequences, huge consequences,” Khelif said in an interview published Sunday evening.
Intimidation “can destroy people, it can kill their thoughts, their spirit and their mind,” the 25-year-old added in Arabic to the Associated Press’s television partner.
Khelif has already won a medal at the 2024 Paris Games, reaching the semi-finals in the 66kg category in a sport that awards two bronzes.
Khelif won a unanimous decision over Hungary’s Anna Luka Hamori on points on Saturday and will discuss reaching the final with Janjay Suwannafeng on Tuesday after the world No. 2-ranked Thai defeated Olympic champion Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey.
The Algerian, who reached the quarterfinals at Tokyo 2020, and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting (-57 kg), who is now in the “quarterfinals” after being eliminated in the first round three years ago in Japan, are at the forefront of unfounded accusations about her gender.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has defended their participation in the face of a chorus of voices that feel women should not compete.
The situation has been one of the most controversial in Paris 2024, with debates on social networks that have already involved, among others, former US President Donald Trump, writer J.K. Rowling or Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
“Let’s be very clear: we are talking about women’s boxing. We have two boxers who were born women, were raised as women, have a female passport and have been competing as women for many years. That is the definition of a woman. There has never been any doubt that they are women,” IOC President Thomas Bach said on Saturday.
Khelif and Lin have faced international scrutiny since being banned from the 2023 World Championships by the International Boxing Association, a governing body expelled by the IOC from the Olympic movement in which they have always competed and which has never provided concrete data to justify its new decision based on alleged high testosterone levels.
On Sunday, Khelif declined to answer a question about whether she had been subjected to any other tests by the International Boxing Association other than anti-doping tests, saying she did not want to talk about it.
The athlete expressed gratitude to the IOC and Thomas Bach for their support: “I know that the Olympic Committee gave me credit, and I am happy with this decision because it shows the truth.”
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Sandra Hansen, a news website Author and Reporter for 24 News Reporters. I have over 7 years of experience in the journalism field, with an extensive background in politics and political science. My passion is to tell stories that are important to people around the globe and to engage readers with compelling content.