Amidst brutal ‘transgender’ allegations, Algeria’s Imane Khelif pleads fans to stop the bullying

Imane Khelif has called for an end to “bullying” after the Algerian boxer guaranteed herself an Olympic medal amid an ongoing eligibility

Imane Khelif pleads everyone to stop bullying her online (Image via Instagram/AP)

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has unexpectedly become embroiled in a controversial gender dispute that has taken center stage at the Paris Olympics. Khelif faced online bullying after causing Italy’s Angela Carini to withdraw 46 seconds into their bout. However, after securing a medal for herself, the Algerian boxer has spoken out against the criticism.

Interestingly, there were numerous claims, particularly on social media, suggesting that Khelif was a biological male. The Algerian boxer’s father was forced to show her birth certificate to reveal female sex. Nevertheless, she failed the gender ability test conducted by the IBA. In the meantime, Khelif has spoken out about the negative attention she has received in recent days.

I send a message to all the people of the world to uphold the Olympic principles and the Olympic Charter,
 to refrain from bullying all athletes...

Imane Khelif via SNTV

Khelif’s participation in the Games comes after an alleged gender test failure in March 2023. Due to this, she was disqualified from the Women’s World Championships. The tests indicated that the 25-year-old had male XY chromosomes and higher testosterone levels. However, these setbacks didn’t shatter her dreams to win the Olympic gold.

Khelif looked strong in her next quarter-final bout and secured a decision win over Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori last weekend. Soon, she was overwhelmed with emotion. She eventually broke down in tears upon realizing that she had clinched a spot in Tuesday’s semi-finals. Khelif will return to action on Tuesday and compete for gold on Friday should she be victorious against Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng.

Imane Khelif’s next opponent speaks about her mentality ahead of their fight

Janjaem Suwannapheng secured a guaranteed medal for the Thai boxing team at the Paris Olympics. She defeated the defending gold medalist from the Tokyo Olympics in her quarter-final bout. With an impressive win over Turkey’s Busenaz Surmeneli, Suwannapheng is all set for her next bout. Now, the Thai boxer will clash against the controversial Algerian boxer Imane Khelif.
Janjaem Suwannapheng and Imane Khelif (via X)
Interestingly, both the semi-finalists have already fought against each other. In their previous encounter, Khelif emerged victorious in a battle against Suwannapheng. Despite this outcome, Suwannapheng remains optimistic about her prospects in the finals with Khelif. This positive attitude persists despite her previous defeat in India last year.

I’ve looked into it too, about her hormones, and I know she’s lost to female boxers before, 
but that was a long time ago...
 I’m not afraid because we’re evenly matched... I just think,
 no matter how strong or tough, we’re both human...
 Having come this far,
 I want to go all the way to the gold medal.

Janjaem Suwannapheng via Khaosod

Thai boxer Janjaem Suwannapheng, who’s lost to Imane Khelif in the past, says that it’s a fair fight in response to the online controversy. She says Imane is strong, but that’s why she’s trained and will fight with all she’s got.

“But if we meet again, I’m not afraid because… pic.twitter.com/jZxAtJtwvo

— Women Posting W’s (@womenpostingws) August 4, 2024

On Tuesday, the 6th of August, the women’s welterweight semi-finals will take place. In one match, Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng will face off against Algeria’s Imane Khelif. Meanwhile, Chinese boxer Yang Liu will clash against Chinese Taipei’s Chen Nien-chin in the other semi-final match. It will be an exciting showdown to see who emerges victorious from this exciting welterweight draw.