Imane Khelif won the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics’ women’s boxing competition. Khelif, from Alegria, defeated China’s Yang Liu during the final women’s boxing match on Aug. 9, 2024, going on to win the gold medal.
But amongst it all was a huge gender controversy that arose, where people claimed that Khelif was a male or a transgender, even though Khelif is biologically a woman.
Khelif was reported to have been disqualified from last year’s Women’s World Championships because she failed a gender eligibility test that claimed she had high levels of testosterone in her system.
A New Look
In a recent move though, the Algerian boxer has come out with a new look, highlighting her feminine features.
In a collaborative Instagram video by Beauty Code and Khelif herself, the boxer is seen going from being dressed in a blue shirt and red boxing gloves to an entirely new look including a white button-down flowery top, and pink flowers attached to hoop earrings.
View this post on Instagram
Beauty Code in their caption in Arabic which when translated said that the boxer “did not seek to change her form to fit the molds that the world wants to confine us to.”
The caption further said, “Her message is much deeper: clothes do not make a monk, and appearance does not reveal the essence of a person,” and how “She can be feminine and elegant when she wants, but on the ring, she does not need makeup or high heels. She only needs strategy, strength, and to throw blows, which is where the essence of her personality lies.”
While Khelif made history, being the first Algerian female athlete to win a gold medal in boxing at the Olympics, however, she has been at the center of a gender controversy.
It all started when Italy’s Angela Carini decided to withdraw from her round-of-16 match against Khelif in just 46 seconds of the event starting. According to reports, Carini speaking with her coach said, “It’s not right, it’s not right!”
Carini was seen leaving the match in tears, and in a statement to BBC said, “It could have been the match of a lifetime, but I had to preserve my life as well in that moment.”
Since then, Khelif has been bombarded by accusations of being a man or a transgender and how this should not be allowed in sports.
The Olympics committee has stood by Khelif though, stating “Everyone competing in the women’s category is complying with the competition eligibility rules. They are women in their passports and it is stated that is the case, that they are female.”
Carini too in a later statement said, “I wish her to carry on until the end and that she can be happy. I am someone who doesn’t judge anyone. I am not here to give judgements” and that she does not bear any criticism against Khelif.
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Lawsuit Filed
Imane Khelif has also submitted a lawsuit to French authorities over “acts of aggravated cyber harassment” against the gold medalist and J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk are among some of the people mentioned in it.
This was confirmed to Variety by Khelif’s Paris-based attorney Nabil Boudi who said that the complaint was sent to the anti-online hatred center of the Paris Prosecutor’s Office on 9th August 2024.
Paris Prosecutor’s Office (National Center for the Fight Against Online Hatred) in a statement quoted by Variety said, “On Aug. 13, (The National Center for the Fight Against Online Hatred) contacted the OCLCH (Central Office for the Fight Against Crimes Against Humanity and Hate Crimes) to conduct an investigation into the counts of cyber harassment due to gender, public insult because of gender, public incitement to discrimination and public insult because of origin.”
Boudi also confirmed “J. K. Rowling and Elon Musk are named in the lawsuit, among others,” and also “(Donald) Trump tweeted, so whether or not he is named in our lawsuit, he will inevitably be looked into as part of the prosecution.”
This is reportedly against the many posts alleging of cyberbullying that Khelif faced after a match at the Paris Olympics.
Several people alleged that Khelif was not a woman and a man, among which controversial author J.K. Rowling shared a picture of Italy’s Angela Carini in tears and Khelif patting her on the back with the caption “Could any picture sum up our new men’s rights movement better? The smirk of a male who’s knows he’s protected by a misogynist sporting establishment enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head, and whose life’s ambition he’s just shattered.”
The post constantly addressed Khelif using the male pronouns. Elon Musk meanwhile captioned “Absolutely” to a post by swimmer Riley Gaines stating “Men don’t belong in women’s sports.”
Former US President Donald Trump also wrote “I will keep men out of women’s sports!” with an image of Carina and Khelif’s fight at the Olympics.
Image Credits: Google Images
Feature image designed by Saudamini Seth
Sources: Hindustan Times, Independent, Variety
Find the blogger: @chirali_08
This post is tagged under: Imane Khelif, Imane Khelif olympics, Imane Khelif gender, Imane Khelif gender row, Imane Khelif paris olympics, Imane Khelif makeover, Imane Khelif lawsuit, Imane Khelif cyberbully, Imane Khelif harassment
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