Boxer at center of gender controversy wins Olympic gold

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif won Olympic gold on Friday after defeating China’s Yang Liu in the women’s welterweight boxing final at the Paris Games. The victory comes amid controversy surrounding Khelif’s gender eligibility.

Khelif, who triumphed in every round of the match, was disqualified from the Women’s World Boxing Championship in New Delhi last year after DNA tests led to the Algerian and several other athletes being declared ineligible. At the time, the president of the International Boxing Association (IBA), Umar Kremlev, said the tests “proved they had XY chromosomes and were thus excluded from the sports events.”

Earlier this year, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) admitted Khelif and Lin Yu-ting of the Chinese Taipei team – who was also disqualified from last year’s competition – to the tournament in Paris. Last week, IOC spokesman Mark Adams claimed that all competitors “comply with the eligibility rules,” while casting doubt on the tests made last year.

Earlier this month, Khelif became the subject of global attention after defeating Italian boxer Angela Carini in just 46 seconds in a preliminary match. The short bout sparked outrage online, with many calling the Algerian athlete ‘male’ due to the previous failed gender tests.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Carini’s bout against Khelif was not a fight among equals, adding that “athletes who have male genetic characteristics should not be admitted to women’s competitions.” British author J.K. Rowling and American billionaire Elon Musk also called the competition unfair.

In 2019, the IOC suspended the IBA, citing alleged governance, finance, refereeing, and ethical issues. The association was not involved in the boxing events at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Relations between the two bodies further soured in the wake of the Ukraine conflict. In 2022, the IBA, which is headed by Kremlev, a Russian national, overturned a ban on Russian and Belarusian boxers, becoming one of the few global sports organizations to allow them to perform with their national flags and anthems despite international sanctions. Last year, the IOC stripped the IBA of recognition over alleged failure to implement reforms on governance and finance, and took charge of boxing at the Paris Olympics.