Imane Khelif clinches Olympic medal in face of online abuse over misconceptions about her gender

Boxer Imane Khelif of Algeria clinched a medal at the Paris Olympics in an emotional fight Saturday that followed days of sharp scrutiny and online abuse as misconceptions about her gender have exploded into a larger clash about identity in sports.

Khelif faced outcry after the banned International Boxing Association claimed she failed an unspecified eligibility test to compete last year. She won her opening bout at the Paris Games on Thursday when opponent Angela Carini of Italy tearfully abandoned the fight after just 46 seconds.

The unusual ending became a sharp wedge to drive into an already prominent divide over gender identity and regulations in sports, drawing comments from the likes of former U.S. President Donald Trump, "Harry Potter" writer J.K. Rowling and others falsely claiming Khelif was a man or transgender.

WATCH | Algeria's Khelif cruises past Italy's Carini in Olympic women's boxing round of 16:

Italian boxer Angela Carini abandons Olympic bout against Algeria's Imane Khelif after 46 seconds

4 months ago

Duration 8:34

Angela Carini stopped her fight against Algeria's Imane Khelif just 46 seconds into the Round of 16 bout. Khelif is one of two boxers permitted to fight at the Olympics despite being disqualified from the women’s world championships last year for failing testosterone and gender eligibility tests.

At a Paris Games that has championed inclusion and seen other outcry over an opening ceremony performance featuring drag queens, LGBTQ+ groups say the hateful comments could pose dangers to their community and female athletes.

Khelif's win was emotional — she went to the center of the ring, waved to her fans, knelt and slammed her palm on the canvas, her a smile turning to tears. She left the ring to hug her coaches while her fans roared, weeping during their embrace and as she walked out.

IOC leader says 'hate speech' is unacceptable

IOC President Thomas Bach on Saturday defended Khelif and fellow boxer Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan. Khelif and Lin were disqualified in the middle of last year's world championships by the IBA, the former governing body of Olympic boxing after what it claimed were failed eligibility tests.

Both had competed in IBA events for several years without problems, and the Russian-dominated body — which has faced years of clashes with the IOC over judging scandals, leadership decisions and financial issues — has refused to provide any information about the tests, underscoring its lack of transparency in nearly every aspect of its dealings, particularly in recent years.

The IBA, which is led by an acquaintance of Russian President Vladimir Putin, disqualified Khelif last year but has not released more details on the tests, calling the process confidential. It faced the unprecedented punishment of being banned from Olympic participation in 2019 following years of conflict with the IOC.

"What we see now is that some want to own the definition of who is a woman," Bach added. "And there I can only invite them to come up with a scientific-based new definition of who is a woman, and how can somebody being born, raised, competed and having a passport as a woman cannot be considered a woman?

"If they are coming up with something, we are ready to listen," Bach added. "We are ready to look into it, but we will not take part in a sometimes politically motivated cultural war."

WATCH | Former IOC medical adviser weighs in on women's Olympic boxing discussion:

Algerian boxer's Olympic participation sparks discussion around testosterone levels

4 months ago

Duration 5:41

Joanna Harper, a former medical adviser to the IOC, weighs in on the discussion involving Algerian boxer Imane Khelif — who was ruled eligible to compete in the women's welterweight event at the Paris Olympics but had previously failed International Boxing Association (IBA) eligibility rules over elevated testosterone levels.