After a swift 46-second match this week, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif defeated Italian opponent Angela Carini at the ongoing Olympics. But the win has been met with more speculation than celebration, with fans across the globe wondering what caused the abrupt end to the match.
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According to reports, Carini ended the match after receiving two blows from Khelif. “I felt a severe pain in my nose, and with the maturity of a boxer, I said ‘enough,’ because I didn’t want to, I didn’t want to, I couldn’t finish the match,” she shared in an interview. The conversation quickly brought up a previous event, where Khelif was disqualified from last year’s championships after taking an unspecified gender eligibility test conducted by the International Boxing Association. The story has now got the world talking about the athlete’s gender, with many targeting Khelif and accusing her of having an unfair advantage.
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In defense of the Algerian boxer, the International Olympic Committee has now shared an official statement with the world. “The Algerian boxer was born female, was registered female, lived her life as a female, boxed as a female, and has a female passport,” IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said.
“This is not a transgender case. I know you’re not saying that, but there has been some confusion that somehow it’s a man fighting a woman. This is just not the case, scientifically. On that, there is consensus. Scientifically, this is not a man fighting a woman. And I think that we need to kind of get that. This woman has competed for a very, very long time in women’s sport against many components, in fact, against Italian boxers and lost twice in the last couple of years I think. So, if you start working on all suspicions, then we end up heading towards a gender testing regime, which is not good for anybody.”
A few noteworthy names from the region have also been quick to step up and share explanations. Saudi social activist Muna AbuSulayman took to her Instagram page to pen a heartfelt letter of support for the athlete. “The attacks on #ImaneKhelif bring to the forefront how gender norms are based on white women’s bodies. As well, as how seemingly intelligent people don’t have a clue about the Middle East or the way it they operate,” she wrote. “The inspirational story of how Imane who comes from a rural and poor background fought so hard to get to where she is, overcoming huge cultural and religious challenges only to be humiliated by western commentators who are using her to fight their own gender battles, has been infuriating for many of us. I understand the issue with tranagender disadvantages. However, many of these athletes have natural advantages that have allowed them to excel, Micheal Phillips lung capacity and body formation, and extra tall basketball players.” Read her complete note below.
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The Palestinian Olympic Committee also shared an official statement in solidarity with the boxer. It read, “The Palestinian Olympic Committee strongly condemns the unethical behavior targeting the distinguished Algerian champion, Imane Khelif, by certain media outlets with false propaganda.”
Boris van der Vorst, president of World Boxing—which hopes to run the next Olympic boxing tournament—stated to the Associated Press, that he has “not seen one single test that is proving that [the boxers are] transgender.” He added, “That’s the reason why it’s not very respectful for the boxers who are competing here … to speak about them in these terms. That’s what I’m trying to stress. When there is proof, yeah, that’s a different situation. But I haven’t seen anything that proves it.”
