Imane Khelif advances to Olympic finals amid gender controversy
Imane Khelif advanced to the finals of the Paris Olympic Games by defeating Thai boxer Janjaem Suwannapheng in the semifinals. Before the match, the Algerian's father showed his daughter's birth certificate to address the "gender controversy" of which his daughter had become the face.
9:48 AM EDT, August 7, 2024
The controversy surrounding Imane Khelif emerged after her fight against Italian Angela Carini, who withdrew from the match after 26 seconds. The boxer from the Apennine Peninsula said she had never felt such powerful punches and that her quick surrender was due to fear for her own life.
Journalists worldwide focused on the Algerians, and netizens speculated about her gender. Doubts are compounded by the fact that before the 2022 World Championships, the boxer did not pass gender tests, which prevented her from competing in the IBA. Khelif maintains that she is a woman.
Imane Khelif advanced to the finals of the Olympic Games and can count on strong support from her family and the entire population of Algeria. Even her father, who stands firmly behind her, spoke out on the matter. He decided to show his daughter's birth certificate.
Imane Khelif's father showed her birth certificate
Omar Khelif appeared on French television channel BFMTV, where he talked about his daughter and her journey. He assured viewers that she is a woman, showing the camera entries in her birth certificate.
"My child is a girl. She was raised as a girl. I raised her to work hard and be brave. She has a strong will to work and train. She is a woman; we have all the evidence, including her birth certificate,” he said.
After winning the semifinal, Imane Khelif spoke out, appealing to critics to refrain from hate speech.
"I send a message to all people worldwide to follow the Olympic principles and the Olympic Charter, and to stop bullying all athletes because it has dire consequences,” she said.
