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Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, caught in a major gender controversy, secured at least a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics on Saturday, bursting into tears after winning her quarter-final match. Khelif, who has been at the center of a global debate along with a Taiwanese boxer, defeated Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori with a unanimous decision to reach the semi-finals in the women’s 66kg category. After the match, the two embraced, and Khelif left the ring in tears before the judges’ verdict was delivered.
In boxing, losing semi-finalists take home bronze medals.
The North Paris Arena crowd, filled with many Algerians, chanted Khelif’s name and cheered her into the ring. Hamori, who had earlier expressed concerns about facing Khelif, was booed by the audience but accepted her defeat graciously.
Khelif will face Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand in the semi-finals on Tuesday for a chance to compete in the final.
“This is a matter of dignity and honor for every woman,” Khelif told BeIN Sports after her dominant victory. She had defeated her first opponent in just 46 seconds. “The entire Arab world knows me. I have been boxing in international competitions for years, and the IBA was unfair to me. But I have God.”
Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting can also secure a bronze medal on Sunday if she wins her quarter-final match against Bulgaria’s Svetlana Staneva in the women’s 57kg category.
Both Khelif and Lin were disqualified from last year’s world championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA) after failing gender eligibility tests. The controversy resurfaced on Thursday when Khelif defeated her Italian opponent Angela Carini in less than a minute, causing Carini to leave the ring in tears with a badly hurt nose.
Khelif and Lin had competed in the Tokyo Games three years ago but did not win any medals. They were disqualified from the IBA’s 2023 world championships after failing gender eligibility tests. The IBA stated that the boxers did not undergo a testosterone examination but were subjected to a different confidential test.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), which is organizing the boxing events in Paris due to governance and ethical issues at the IBA, defended Khelif and Lin. IOC President Thomas Bach stated that both boxers were born and raised as women and have passports confirming this. Neither boxer identifies as transgender.
Khelif’s father, Omar, told AFP from their Algerian village, “My child is a girl. She was raised as a girl. She is a strong girl — I raised her to work and be brave.”
