Imane Khelif is shaping up to be one of the most controversial boxers in Olympic history. Carini, her Italian rival, pulled out from the round-of-16 match in Paris just 46 seconds claiming that Khelif had landed the hardest punch of her career.
The 25-year-old was heard telling her coach, "It's not right, it's not right", and her emotional press conference sparked a global debate, with many questioning Khelif's gender and her eligibility to participate in a women's event.
Since, the 25-year-old boxer has been targeted by transgender sceptics like JK Rowling , who label her a 'biological man' and argue she should not compete. However, reports suggest that Khelif is a biological woman who has a rare condition known as differences in sex development (DSD), which can cause female individuals to have male chromosomes or anatomy.
Imane, who was assigned female at birth and is registered as female on her Algerian passport, stated in a previously recorded interview ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics that she "wanted to show the whole world what a brave woman Imane Khelif is."
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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has taken over running boxing competitions for the upcoming Paris Games and has set the standard for gender categories by what's listed on the passports. On Tuesday, Mark Adams made clear that: "Everyone competing in the women's category is complying with the competition eligibility rules. They are women in their passports and it's stated that this is the case, that they are female."
After being controversially sidelined from last year's World Boxing Championships, Imane Khelif raised her voice. The IBA had sidelined her not over a testosterone measurement but due to an assessment that determined she held an unfair advantage over other women contenders.
Adding fuel to the heated discussions, IBA President Umar Kremlev later said the tests "proved they had XY chromosomes and were thus excluded". Reflecting on her adversity, Khelif shared: "The year 2023 was very difficult for me after a great year... It was a hard blow for me but I came back stronger to show my strength and my determination and show the whole world what a brave woman Imane Khelif is."
Khelif has admitted to overcoming multiple obstacles on her path to success, dealing with what she described as a "really difficult" childhood. While appearing on Canal Algerie, she opened up: "I come from a conservative region and family. Boxing was a sport dedicated only to men."
She spoke out about the difficulties of making ends meet, revealing that she even sold bread on the streets to fund her boxing training. Khelif said: "These are obstacles that I encountered when I started. I happened to sell bread in the street, I collected dishes and other objects to earn money and to be able to move around because I came from a very poor family."
However, her love for boxing made all the challenges worth it. As soon as she stepped into the ring, she was hooked.
Determined to succeed, Imane left her small village, eventually moving to the capital city and building what she calls an "impressive story". She is very proud of everything she has achieved.
Looking back on her unexpected journey, she shared: "It was pure chance, I never imagined one day that I would become a boxer and that I would become world champion. I have always loved football and I played it in my little village. My father always preferred football to boxing. But I was very good at sports in my school and my teacher encouraged me to become a boxer since I had good physical qualities and he was right."
Khelif is prepping for her dream shot at a gold medal, ready to face off in the women's welterweight quarter-finals this Saturday against Hungary's Anna Luca Hamori. Despite Khelif breezing past her Italian opponent previously, her forthcoming Hungarian contender Hamori has confidently told the media: "I'm not scared. I don't care about the press story and social media. If she or he is a man, it will be a bigger victory for me if I win."
Olympic gold winner Nicola Adams, though, has voiced her worries concerning fairness and safety in women's sports, especially when competitors have undergone male puberty. Adams, acclaimed for capturing flyweight gold in both the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympics, articulated her concerns on Friday, saying: "After years of fighting for women's boxing to even exist in the Olympics and then all the training they go through to get there it was hard to watch another fighter be forced to give up on her Olympic dreams."
Additionally, Adams argues, "People not born as biological women, that have been through male puberty, should not be able to compete in women's sport. Not only is this unfair it's dangerous! ".
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