As Algeria’s Imane Khelif began her quest for a dream Olympic gold, little did she know that during the course of that journey, her life would change.
On Friday, in the background of a fortnight-long furore over who she is and what she represents, the shrillness of the polarised online outrage was replaced by the roars of the Algerian diaspora in France that made themselves known in a 15,000-strong crowd at Court Philippe Chatrier at Roland Garros, as Khelif stormed past China’s Yang Liu to win the women’s 66kg boxing gold.
Of course, it is not boxing that has fast-tracked Khelif into the limelight. An unorthodox conclusion to one of her bouts kicked off an unorthodox debate, which, at its core, put her womanhood on trial.
In reality, there is little to suggest anything other than a mix of bad and good-faith actors, fighting for women’s sport, health and inclusion, weighing in on a divisive isolated incident from a sport they might know little to a lot about, while repeating their agendas.
Gold medalist Algeria’s Imane Khelif poses during a medals ceremony for the women’s 66 kg final boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics. (AP)
For the uninitiated, Khelif, and Taiwan’s Lin Yu Ting who will fight in the 57kg final on Saturday, were at the centre of a gender row. The duo had been disqualified by the International Boxing Association (IBA) from last year’s World Championships in New Delhi for failing IBA-administered gender tests.
Opinions are iron-clad and voiced with conviction but the facts remain blurry. In a press conference in Paris this week, the IBA chief executive Chris Roberts said that Khelif had failed a “sex chromosome test”, but since he could not reveal the details of the test, he prompted those listening to “read between the lines”.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) rejects these tests as “arbitrary” and “illegitimate”, instead using eligibility rules that were in place in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2021 which do not include gender testing.
IOC president Thomas Bach stood firm on the Committee’s stance ahead of the two boxers’ gold medal bouts. “This is not a question of inclusion. This is a question of justice,” he said. “This is not as easy as some in this cultural war may now want to portray it.”
He added that he was uncomfortable with the uncertainty of the IBA’s testing formula: “If somebody is presenting us a scientifically solid system how to identify men and women, we are the first ones to do it.”
Algeria’s Imane Khelif, left, fights China’s Yang Liu in their women’s 66 kg final boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics. (AP)
At its heart, this issue has gone beyond the sport of boxing. The IOC has cut ties with the IBA over alleged corruption and irregularities in its finances and governance. The IBA has hit back, often accusing their accusers of the same. The initial row between Khelif and Italian Angela Carini, precipitated a tussle between rival factions with rival national benefactors — the IBA backed by Russia, the IOC by the global West.
What is also clear, though, is how the tussle villainised a sportsperson who did little wrong other than competing with ferocity. And even as the noise around this was allowed to reach a deafening pitch, despite the claims and counterclaims about the reasons for her natural strength, Khelif has won this gold medal despite the odds stacked against her.
Coming from nothing
Khelif, 25, picked up boxing while growing up in the rural village of Tiaret in Algeria. Coming from a conservative family and little to no wealth, things were never too easy. The pugilist claimed that it was dodging the punches of boys on sports fields at 16 that got her into the sport. Travelling 10km to the nearest gym to train and finding the money for her routines were obstacles, but ones she could only overcome once she got the approval of her family, with her father believing boxing is not a sport for girls (the irony is lost, but must not be lost).
Eventually, they came around and found the money to fuel her aspirations. “I started with nothing and now I have everything. Both my parents come to support me. They are my biggest fans,” she was quoted as saying by UNICEF, with whom she became an ambassador earlier this year.
“It’s being able to overcome the obstacles in my life,” she said, in response to a question about which of her accomplishments she is most proud of.
Algeria’s Imane Khelif celebrates after defeating China’s Yang Liu to win gold in their women’s 66 kg final boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics. (AP)
The larger sporting world has been roped into this scandalous drama, and, otherwise obsessed with rags-to-riches folktales of inspiration, has forgotten to acknowledge the two people at the centre of this. Lin and Khelif have been active boxers for years. The former, too, was born and raised as a girl in Taiwan. Back home, she has a big following too — fans call her ‘Ting’ (meaning graceful) on Taiwanese social media– and they have been prompted into action to protect their icon as these allegations have been made against her.
Khelif has already overcome tough tides to represent Algeria at the grand stage a few times and is finally in the form of her life. She neither prompted nor deserved this storm around her.
After winning gold by a unanimous 5-0 decision following a fascinating final bout on Friday, Khelif stood defiant. “I am fully qualified to take part in this competition. I’m a woman like any other woman. I was born a woman, I lived a woman, I competed as a woman, there’s no doubt about that,” she was quoted as saying by The Guardian. “As for the IBA… they hate me and I don’t know why. I send them a single message: with this gold medal, my dignity, my honour is above everything else.”
The storm may have made Khelif a sporting success in Algeria, as videos emerged of fans celebrating the victory, including a raucous blowout in Tiaret according to a video published by AP. The Algerian president, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, honoured her too. “We are all proud of you, Olympic champion Khelif, your victory today is Algeria’s victory and your gold is Algeria’s gold.,” he said on X.
Perhaps storming to victory in this event and these celebrations will do little to change the enormous hate and bullying she has faced this fortnight; how her life has turned upside down. But the bling of the gold, one hopes, softens the blow.
