Algerian boxer Imane Kherif, who failed a gender test, sent a short message to her opponents after winning a medal in the women’s 66kg category.
Kheriff is competing in the women’s division almost a year after the IBA announced that her gender test results showed she has XY chromosomes.
But the boxer feels there is a reason why Kheriff is staying in the women’s bout.
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Algeria’s Imane Kherif is photographed ahead of her match against Italy’s Angela Carini. (Reuters/Isabel Infantes)
“I’m female.”
Heriv spoke these words after defeating Hungarian boxer Anna-Luka Hamori, a victory that advanced him to the semifinals, where he is guaranteed at worst a bronze medal, as boxing does not have semifinals.
IOC president Thomas Bach on Saturday defended Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting, who were disqualified midway through last year’s world championships by the IBA, boxing’s former governing body for Olympic boxing, for failing eligibility tests.
While both athletes had competed in IBA events for several years without incident, the Russian-led IBA, which has been at odds with the IOC for many years, has refused to provide any information about the testing, highlighting a lack of transparency in nearly every aspect of the IBA’s dealings, especially in recent years.
Algeria’s Imane Kherif is pictured before competing against Hungary’s Anna-Luka Hamori at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on August 3. (MOHD RASFAN/AFP via Getty Images)
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“Let me be very clear: we’re talking about women’s boxing,” Bach said Saturday. “We have two boxers who were born women, raised women, have women’s passports and have competed as women for many years. That’s a clear definition of women. There was no question that they were women.”
The IOC has said the IBA’s testing was “flawed”.
After the match, Kherif’s mother, Irene, said on Algerian television, ” [her] She said she “loves her daughter” and called Boxer “a brave man who refuses to let his daughter succumb to racist and sexist attacks.”
The controversy reached new heights when Kherif’s previous opponent, Italian Angela Carini, withdrew from her bout with Kherif just 46 seconds into the bout.
Algeria’s Imane Kherif celebrates after defeating Hungary’s Anna Hamori at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on August 3. (AP Photo/John Rocker)
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Kheriff is scheduled to fight Thai boxer Janjaem Suwannapen for the gold medal on Tuesday at 4:34 pm ET.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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