Algerian boxer Imane Khelif will fight in the semifinals for the women’s 145-pound division Tuesday, giving her a chance to compete for Olympic gold later this week—after she pushed back against critics amid a gender eligibility dispute.
Khelif is attempting to secure Algeria's first gold medal in boxing. (Photo by Sina Schuldt/picture ... [+]
Khelif will face off against Thai boxer Janjaem Suwannapheng in the semifinals at 4:34 p.m. EDT after winning her last bout in a unanimous decision.
Khelif has already clinched a bronze medal for making it to the semifinals under an Olympic rule that allows for two bronze medalists—meaning all four semifinalists are guaranteed a medal.
Wins from Khelif in the semifinals and final would mark Algeria’s first gold medal ever in olympic boxing.
The Algerian boxer has faced calls to withdraw from the Olympics because the controversial International Boxing Association says she failed an unspecified gender eligibility test, disqualifying her from the 2023 World Boxing Championships—a competition organized by the IBA, which is no longer recognized by the International Olympic Committee over governance issues and lack of financial transparency.
Khelif told the Associated Press after her Saturday quarterfinals win that people should “refrain from bullying all athletes,” saying such behavior can destroy and divide people and “kill people’s thoughts, spirit and mind.”
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If she secures a victory Tuesday, Khelif will fight Chinese Taipei boxer Chen Nien Chin or second seed Chinese boxer Yang Liu in the final, which is scheduled for Friday afternoon.
Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting, who also failed the IBA’s gender eligibility test and was disqualified from the World Boxing Championships last year, will fight in the women’s 125-pound semifinals Wednesday.
The controversy around Khelif’s presence at the 2024 Olympics became one of the competition’s biggest stories after she defeated Italian boxer Angela Carini last week in a 46-second bout that ended after Carini abruptly withdrew from the match. Carini was emotional after the bout and later apologized for not shaking Khelif’s hand, telling Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport she was sorry for Khelif and the controversy surrounding their fight. Much of the criticism revolves around the IBA’s gender test claims: The organization has said Khelif was not subject to a testosterone exam and was instead given a different test that concluded she had competitive advantages over other women athletes. However, the IBA has refused to disclose the specifics of the test and its parameters, saying in a statement that details of the test are confidential. Separately, IBA president Umar Kremlev alleged to a Russian state-owned news agency last year that an IBA test identified XY chromosomes—a pair of chromosomes typically possessed by men—in “a number of athletes” ahead of the 2023 Women's World Championships, likely referring to Khelif and Yu-ting. Kremlev did not provide evidence backing his claim or disclose testing specifics. Khelif has competed as a woman her entire career and is identified as female on her passport.
The IOC has defended Khelif’s inclusion in the Olympics, saying her and Yu-ting were “the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA.” IOC President Thomas Bach told reporters Saturday there has never been any doubt about the boxers being women, adding the Olympics will “not take part in a sometimes politically motivated, cultural war.”
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