Gender Dispute Surrounds Algerian Boxer Imane Khelif’s Victory in Semi-Final Match at Paris Olympics
The 25-year-old athlete, Imane Khelif, emerged victorious over Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng through a unanimous decision.
Following her win over Janjaem, Khelif will now contend for a gold medal in the women’s boxing competition at the Paris Olympics. She achieved this in the welterweight semifinal tournament, defeating Janjaem at Roland-Garros Stadium. This victory ensured her a silver medal.
Khelif has now secured three victories in three fights at the Paris Olympics.
“I don’t want to focus on the controversy,” Khelif expressed after her win. “I simply aimed to deliver a strong performance today to please the fans.”
She is set to face China’s Yang Liu in the 66-kilogram final on Friday night.
The IOC stripped the IBA of its governing body status in 2023.
Khelif defeated Janjaem in the semi-finals of the 2023 IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships before her disqualification.
Controversy regarding Khelif’s eligibility to compete against other women surfaced during her match with Italian boxer Angela Carini.
The IOC, overseeing the Paris 2024 boxing tournament, continues to back Khelif and Yu-ting’s participation as per rules from previous Olympics.
Yu-ting is geared up to face Turkey’s Esra Yildiz Kahraman in the women’s 57 kg semifinals after defeating Svetlana Staneva of Team Bulgaria.
Lorenz Duchamps and Reuters contributed to this report.
