Algeria’s Imane Khelif secured the gold in women’s welterweight boxing at the Olympic Games, triumphing over China’s Yang Liu in the final bout.
Previously a silver medalist at the 2022 world championships, Khelif has been embroiled in a gender-controversy at the Paris Games, a situation that has also involved Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting and attracted widespread media scrutiny.
Both Khelif and Lin were barred from participating in the 2023 World Championships in New Delhi by the International Boxing Association (IBA) after failing a sex chromosome test.
Despite this, they were allowed to compete in the Paris Olympics after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) took over the organization of boxing events, following the IBA’s loss of its governing status.
The IOC rejected the IBA-initiated tests as unfounded and chose to apply eligibility criteria from the 2016 and 2021 Olympics, which do not require gender testing.
During the final match, Khelif’s supporters, waving Algerian flags, filled the arena and celebrated her victory.
This gold medal is Khelif’s first at the Olympics and represents Algeria’s first-ever boxing gold.
Bronze medals were claimed by Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand and Taiwan’s Chen Nien-chin.
Earlier, the father of Imane Khelif, an Algerian boxer competing in the current Olympics in Paris, spoke out about his daughter’s gender critique.
Amar Khelif, the father, termed the assaults on Imane “immoral” and discussed athletes with Differential Sexual Development (DSD) who compete in sports, saying that his daughter honored his family.
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