Controversy surrounding Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who defeated Italian Angela Carini in the under 66 kilos category in the eighth finals of the Olympic Games on August 1. The controversy is sporting, societal and political. Imane Khelif, an intersex person, is accused by her detractors of being a man.
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It was Angelina Carini’s withdrawal that sparked the controversy. After only 46 seconds of combat, the Italian took a rather tough straight punch to the face and completely broke down… in front of a stunned audience, she took off her helmet, screamed, it wasn’t fair, before collapsing and bursting into tears. The referee took his opponent’s arm and lifted it, Imane Khelif rhymes with qualification.
The signs of support are multiplying for the Italian… and the smear campaign is getting out of control against the Algerian: on social networks, the 1m78 athlete with masculine features is accused of being biologically a man and the IOC is being blamed for letting her fight against a woman. While in 2023, the International Boxing Federation had chosen to exclude her from the Women’s World Championships in New Delhi. Genetic tests showing the presence of XY chromosomes associated with masculinity. A Taiwanese female boxer, Lin Yu-ting, was in the same situation.
The subject is entering the political sphere… even in the United States, where Donald Trump is offended: “I will keep men out of women’s sports!“, writes Donald Trump in capital letters on his Truth Social network. In Italy, the extreme right is taking up arms. The president of the council Giorgia Meloni denounces an unfair competition.
“Athletes with masculine characteristics should not be allowed to compete in women’s competitions. This is not about discriminating against anyone, but about protecting the right of female athletes to compete on equal terms.“.
On the evening of Thursday, August 1, the IOC published a long press release that dotted the i’s. Imane Khelif complied with the eligibility rules. As with all Olympic boxing competitions, the gender and age of athletes are based on their passport. And on her passport, Imane Khelif is indeed a woman.
She is actually an “intersex” person, which means that she does not necessarily have a uterus, not necessarily ovaries… but also no testicles or penis due to an anomaly, a congenital disease. That is why at birth she was declared a girl, and socially raised all her life as a girl. After puberty, we also speak of a hyperandrogenic person (like the South African athlete Caster Semenya) because the levels of male hormones such as testosterone are particularly high. Medications can control them.
Algeria, which denounces an unjustified campaign of hatred, is uniting behind its champion.
Saturday, August 3rd, it’s time for a new fight for Imane Khelif, who is playing for her place in the semi-finals. Her opponent, the Hungarian Anna Luca Hamori, says she doesn’t care about the controversy.