Imane Khelif: La Boxeadora Argelina en el Ojo del Huracán de las Protestas de Género Antes de los Juegos Olímpicos

VILLEPINTE, France — The Algerian boxer, Imane Khelif, is at the center of a gender controversy in sports, following the withdrawal of her Italian competitor, Angela Carini, during their bout at the Paris Olympics.

Protests have erupted from conservative figures like former U.S. President Donald Trump and Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Khelif was previously disqualified from the 2023 World Championship due to ambiguous eligibility tests conducted by the now-banned International Boxing Association (IBA).

Khelif, who was assigned female at birth as stated in her passport, meets the eligibility criteria for boxing according to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Despite this, controversies around her participation have not abated.

Khelif is an accomplished athlete, having competed in numerous international events over the last six years, including the Tokyo Olympics. She has also won regional gold medals.

Carini’s rapid defeat in just 46 seconds and her tearful exit have fueled exaggerated portrayals of Khelif as an overpowering boxer, a stark deviation from the reality recognized by those familiar with Olympic-style boxing.

Born in 1999 in a rural part of northwestern Algeria, Khelif faced initial opposition from her father regarding her boxing career. Undeterred, she switched from football to boxing as a teenager, enduring a 10-kilometer commute to train.

Khelif caught the attention of Algeria’s national team, debuting in a major tournament in 2018. Though she lost her first five out of six elite matches, she improved and rose to prominence.

She was one of three Algerian boxers sent to the Tokyo Olympics, where she won her initial fight but lost to eventual gold medalist Kellie Harrington of Ireland in her second bout.

As her profile grew, she secured commendable results in subsequent world championships and became a UNICEF national ambassador earlier this year.

In 2023, Khelif reached the World Championship final before an abrupt disqualification by the IBA, citing elevated testosterone levels. Khelif decried the move as “a massive conspiracy.”

Previously, she competed without issue, only to be disqualified after defeating Russian boxer Azalia Amineva. IBA, under Russian control and significant influence from sponsor Gazprom, has since moved many of its operations to Russia.

The IOC described IBA’s disqualification of Khelif and Lin Yu-ting as “sudden and arbitrary,” dismissing both fighters without due process. The ambiguous circumstances continue to cloud the disqualification decisions.

Protesters like Trump, Meloni, and even “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling, object to Khelif’s presence in the competition.

For Italy’s far-right political faction fixated on LGBTQ+ issues, Khelif’s participation symbolized the corruption of sports by “woke” culture. Meloni, during a Friday meeting with IOC President Thomas Bach, warned against ideology taken to extremes.

IOC spokesperson Mark Adams stated there’s been “a lot of misinformation, particularly on social media, which is harmful.” A special IOC-designated unit is overseeing boxing in Paris, applying eligibility decisions based on the 2016 Rio games following the split with IBA.

No scientific or political consensus exists on gender and fairness, according to an IOC guidance update in 2021. Various sports bodies, like World Aquatics and World Athletics, have revised their eligibility rules, generally excluding male-to-female transitioned athletes who went through male puberty.

World Athletics also introduced testosterone testing for athletes legally identified as female at birth but with medical conditions causing some male traits.

Although Carini’s surrender suggests Khelif is a formidable opponent, it’s unlikely that others in the 66-kilogram women’s division see her as invincible. “I’m not scared,” said Hungarian boxer Anna Luca Hamori, who is set to fight Khelif on Saturday. “I don’t care about the story or social media.”

Khelif remains a medal contender, but isn’t yet seen on par with Turkey’s defending Olympic champion Busenaz Surmeneli or China’s 2023 World Champion Yang Liu, the top two contenders in Paris.

Opinions about Khelif in Paris are mixed, often influenced by the news cycle outside the athlete’s village. Australian boxer Marissa Williamson Pohlman, who lost to Khelif last May, noted Khelif’s strength but saw it as part of the sport.

Irish boxer Amy Broadhurst, who defeated Khelif in the 2022 IBA World Championship, expressed support for her. “I don’t think she did anything to ‘cheat,’” Broadhurst posted on social media. “I believe she was born that way, which is out of her control. The fact that she has been beaten by nine women before says it all.”