In a recent interview, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif opened up about being bullied during the Olympics, asking all to refrain from putting other athletes through the same.
Photo: Instagram.com
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif may have won the 66kg quarter-final against Anna Luca Hamori at the Olympics earlier this week, but the athlete has more battles to fight over the coming days. As she preps for the semi-finals tomorrow, the athlete sat down for an interview, where she opened up about the current gender-related controversy that surrounds her.
Speaking on the rampant bullying she is currently being subjected to in regards to her gender, the boxer said, “I send a message to all the people of the world to uphold the Olympics principles, according to the Olympics charter, to refrain from bullying all athletes because this thing has effects, massive effects. It can destroy people, it can kill people’s thoughts, spirit, and mind. And it can divide people.”
During the conversation, she also shed light on her past experiences with boxer Angela Carini, who she competed and won against in the August 1 match. “Honestly, the Italian boxer has known me for a long time. And I have been visiting Italy for years… in the city of Assisi in the south for my training camps. Most of my training camps were in Italy. The coaches have known me since I was young in the national team and I used to train with them. The Italian boxer herself knew me — and knew me well. I had training sessions with her in the rings in Assisi,” Khelif revealed. “They took advantage of the media campaign against me to affect me but I will work to reach the goal I am here for.”
Fortunately for Khelif, no amount of external commentary can shift the athlete’s dream of doing her nation proud. “What’s important is that I came here with focus on my goal, which is the Olympics. Today I am in the semi-finals. God willing, I will be up to the challenge in the semi-finals. And God willing I will be able to keep it under control and pass these two stages and the semi-finals,” she stated.
For those who may not be following the 2024 Olympics, Khelif’s first match this year against Carini ended in a mere 45 seconds, when the latter quit. Carini’s abrupt walkout fed into a narrative about Khelif not being eligible to take part in a previous championship due to a gender discrepancy, one that was later also addressed by the International Olympic Committee. “The Algerian boxer was born female, was registered female, lived her life as a female, boxed as a female, has a female passport,” said IOC spokesperson Mark Adams. Watch the full statement below.
View this post on Instagram
Tomorrow night, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif will enter the boxing ring once more to fight against Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng. If Khelif loses the match, she will have secured a bronze medal for Algeria. Should she win, the athlete will be eligible for a gold.
