Hero’s welcome for Olympic gender-row boxer Imane Khelif in Algiers
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Imane Khelif addressed what she called a “relentless campaign” on Aug 12.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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ALGIERS – Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif said she had fought for her country’s women, as Algeria’s Paris Games medallists received a hero’s welcome at Algiers Airport on Aug 12.
Khelif, who was at the centre of a gender controversy at the Olympics on her way to the women’s 66kg title,
The crowd cheered Khelif with chants of “Tahia Imane” (Long live Imane).
“The answer lay in the results of each match,” she said. “I wanted to show the strength of performance and the presence of women in general, and Algerian women in particular.”
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) took over the boxing competition in Paris after losing patience with the International Boxing Association (IBA) over financial and governance issues.
The IBA, led by Umar Kremlev, retaliated during the Games by saying it had disqualified Khelif and Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yu-ting from its world championships in 2023 because its gender tests showed “these are men”.
Khelif and Lin – who reportedly have male XY chromosomes – were both allowed to compete in Paris by the IOC.
Lin won gold in the women’s 57kg.
Khelif, 25, addressed what she called a “relentless campaign” on Aug 12, saying she wanted “to thank the Algerian people who supported me in this ordeal and gave me strength”.
“Algerian women are an example and a model for the whole world,” the boxer added.
“Thanks to God, we have restored Algeria’s honour and flown the Algerian flag in Paris, which is the most important thing.”
Meanwhile, Valentina Petrillo is set to become the first openly transgender athlete to participate in the Aug 28-Sept 8 Paralympic Games after the visually impaired sprinter was selected to represent Italy in the women’s 200m and 400m races in Paris.
The 50-year-old, who transitioned in 2019, won bronzes in both events at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships in Paris.
Before transitioning, Petrillo won 11 national titles in the men’s category.
International Paralympic Committee (IPC) president Andrew Parsons told BBC Sport that while Petrillo is welcome in Paris under World Para Athletics guidelines, he wants to see the sporting world “unite” on its transgender policies.
The governing bodies of many sports, including athletics, cycling and swimming, have tightened their participation rules for transgender athletes in elite women’s competitions over the last couple of years.
However, the IPC allows governing bodies to set their own policies and World Para Athletics permits an individual legally recognised as a woman to compete in the category for which their impairment qualifies them. AFP, REUTERS
