Tag: Imane Khelif gender

  • Woman of steel; Imane Khelif wins gold at Olympics

    Woman of steel; Imane Khelif wins gold at Olympics

    Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, target of racist attacks on her gender, has won the gold medal in the women’s boxing competition.

    In the final of the boxing 66 kg category match, a visibly pumped up Imane defeated China’s Yang Liu by 5-0.

    The Algerian boxer has been the victim of a racist storm questioning her gender ever since Italian boxer Angela Carini withdrew 46 seconds into their bout. Harry Potter author JK Rowling joined in on the attacks l, condemning Imane on X (formerly Twitter), as did Elon Musk.

    The International Olympic Committee (IOC) supported Imane and declared her eligible to compete in women’s boxing.

    After that, Imane not only won all the fights but also won the decisive battle to win Algeria’s second gold medal of the event.

    According to the IOC, all boxers participating in women’s boxing meet the eligibility criteria. The same boxing rules are in force at the Paris Olympics as in 2021, with all qualifying rounds of Olympic boxing held under the same rules.

    Read this also: IBA declares Angela Carini champion despite defeat against Imane Khelif

    After the controversy surrounding the Algerian boxer escalated, Hungarian boxer Luca Hamori shared insulting posts about her on social media before the fight. She removed the posts after severe criticism, while Italian boxer Angela also apologized to Imane for her behaviour.

  • Social media rallies behind Imane Khelif as racism over Muslim boxer turns ugly

    Social media rallies behind Imane Khelif as racism over Muslim boxer turns ugly

    Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has become the center of a racist attack after her opponent Angela Carini of Italy quit their match while crying, just 46 seconds into the first round.

    The two women exchanged just a few punches before Carini’s helmet was dislodged. She refused to shake Imane’s hands and cried on her knees in the ring. Later, she said that she quit after experiencing intense pain in her nose. Notably, she said that she had not refused to fight Imane.

    The match led to an uproar among right-wing Western conservatives, including Harry Potter author JK Rowling and Elon Musk, who instantly resorted to calling Imane a man because she had failed an unspecified test in the World Boxing Championships last year. The governing body said she had “elevated levels of testosterone.”

    Imane Khelif childhood pictures

    Social media was quick to rally to Khelif’s defence, pointing out that she had been competing as an amateur since years and had been defeated by women before this match.

    Users shared childhood pictures of the Algerian sportswoman, showing her in girl’s clothing and pigtails. Others pointed out that Algeria is a conservative Muslim country where women cannot have gender reassignment surgeries and transgenderism is legally barred.

    Nida Kirmani wrote that the episode proved that black and brown athletes face immense racism.

    Algerian Football Media account called her a “superwoman”.

    Another account called out Rowling and pointed out that Khelif just has elevated testosterone, something she was born with.

    Others called out Carini for crying about being hit in a boxing match.