Khelif became a contentious figure after being cleared to fight despite being disqualified from the previous year's IBA World Boxing Championships for failing a gender test .
Khelif is now set to secure a medal in the women's 66-kilogram division following her victory over Hungary's Anna Luca Hamori in the quarter-finals.
Her participation has reignited heated discussions about gender in sports.
IBA president Umar Kremlev has kept the details of Khelif's tests under wraps, citing confidentiality, but has suggested that the boxer possesses competitive advantages over other female athletes. He later stated that the tests "proved they had XY chromosomes and were thus excluded".
Despite the IBA's stance, which is not recognised by the IOC, the latter supports Khelif's inclusion. The debate intensified when Italy's Angela Carini quit just 46 seconds into her bout with Khelif and broke down in tears, claiming she had never been struck so forcefully.
Jenner, who transitioned to become a woman after her athletic career, told Fox News on Friday that Khelif's involvement has tarnished the reputation of the Paris Olympics. "This issue has hurt the Olympic Games so much... Everyone's talking about it," Jenner expressed, reports the Express US .
'SHAME ON THE IOC': @Caitlyn_Jenner explains why the International Olympic Committee was "absolutely" wrong to allow Imane Khelif to compete against women, even after the Algerian boxer failed a gender test. pic.
"Shame on the IOC for not protecting the integrity of women's sports, and shame on the IOC for not protecting the safety of women's sports," she added. Jenner, who previously won gold in the 1976 men's decathlon as Bruce, slammed the organisation.
In September 2015, Jenner legally changed her name to Caitlyn Marie Jenner and has since been a vocal advocate for transgender rights. Her recent tirade on Fox News has rallied massive support from fans although IOC president Thomas Bach's stance remains unshaken.
Defending both Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting, whose gender tests indicated XY chromosomes, Bach argued: "We have two boxers who were born as women, who have been raised as women, who have a passport as a woman, and who have competed for many years as women," demonstrating his viewpoint.
He condemned the negative rhetoric surrounding the issue: "What we see now is that some want to own the definition of who is a woman. All this hate speech, aggression, and abuse ... is totally unacceptable."
The IOC stood firm on its position while detailing the reasons behind disqualifying the boxers from the 2023 World Championships.
The IOC released a pointed statement regarding the treatment of the two boxers: "These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the (International Boxing Association)," highlighting that Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting were unexpectedly disqualified during the climax of the IBA World Championships in 2023, without any proper procedure.
Guaranteed at least a bronze in her next bout on Tuesday, Khelif could progress to secure a silver medal with a victory. After her triumph on Saturday, Khelif pronounced boldly: "I dedicate this medal to the world and to all the Arabs and I tell you, 'Long live Algeria! ' I want to tell the entire world that I am a female, and I will remain a female."
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