Getty Imane Khelif of Team Algeria celebrates victory against Anna Luca Hamori of Team Hungary.
Controversial Algerian boxer Imane Khelif continued her surge in the 2024 Paris Olympics amid scrutiny over his gender, which has drawn strong opinions from famous personalities including former Olympic gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner.
Khelif dominated Anna Luca Hamori of Hungary 5:0 in the quarterfinals of the women’s 66-kilogram bout on Saturday, August, 3 to clinch her first Olympic medal after finishing fifth in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
But the controversy over her gender, stemming from her disqualification from the 2023 World Boxing Championships, has put an asterisk on her remarkable run in Paris.
“This issue has hurt the Olympic Games so much. … Everyone’s talking about it,” Jenner told Fox News’ “The Story” on Friday, August 2, adding it has taken away from other accomplishments.
Jenner, who won the 1976 men’s decathlon as Bruce Jenner, said Khelif should not be competing against women after the International Boxing Association disqualified her in the world championships for having XY chromosomes, which are typically found in males.
“I hate to be so downright rough … but we have to have rules and regulations, and it has to come down to DNA,” Jenner said.
Jenner slammed the International Olympic Committee for allowing this to happen.
“I think the Olympic committee did absolutely the wrong thing by letting [Khelif] compete,” Jenner added. “Shame on the IOC for not protecting the integrity of women’s sports, and shame on the IOC for not protecting the safety of women’s sports.”
.@Caitlyn_Jenner: “Shame on the IOC for not protecting the integrity of women’s sports” (@iocmedia)
IOC Defends Imane Khelif: ‘She Was Born Female’
The IOC defended Khelif, maintaining that she met the eligibility requirement to compete.
“The Algerian boxer was born female, was registered female, lived her life as a female, boxed as a female, has a female passport,” IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said on Friday, August 2.
The IOC also released a statement denouncing “abuse” and “aggression” aimed at Khelif.
“The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure, especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years,” the statement read, via The Independent.
“The IOC is saddened by the abuse that the two athletes are currently receiving,” it added. “Every person has the right to practice sport without discrimination.”
The IOC also decried the IBA’s hasty decision to disqualify both boxers in the middle of the world championship last year.
“Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process,” the IOC statement read. “According to the IBA minutes available on their website, this decision was initially taken solely by the IBA Secretary General and CEO.”
USA Boxing Sides With IOC in Imane Khelif Controversy
USA Boxing made its stand over the issue, siding with the IOC.
They released a statement, showing their complete faith in the IOC’s rigid eligibility guidelines.
“All qualified athletes have competed internationally for several years and in the qualifying events leading up to the Olympic Games. The athletes have passed the necessary and stringent medical testing and guidelines put forth by the IOC,” the statement read in part, per Yahoo Sports.
“The eligibility rules in place for the Olympic Games have been in place for years and USA Boxing has confidence that the IOC and the PBU’s eligibility requirements consider medical expertise and prioritize the safety of the athletes. USA Boxing prioritizes the safety of our boxers and would not knowingly enter our boxers into competitions unless eligibility rules relied on sufficient medical support.”
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Caitlyn Jenner Weighs In on Olympic Boxing Controversy as Imane Khelif Clinches Medal