Controversial athlete wins Olympic gold in female boxing

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif on Friday defeated Chinese boxer Yang Liu to win the Olympic gold medal. All five judges scored the bout in Khelif’s favor for all three rounds, according to reporting by the Associated Press. Khelif blew kisses to the crowd and kissed the gold medal, the Associated Press reported.

Why is Khelif so controversial? Khelif was thrust into the spotlight earlier this month during a matchup with Italian fighter Angela Carini. Carini left her fight with Khelif less than a minute into the match after she said Khelif’s punch was too painful, she told Italian news agency ANSA. Italian politicians called the match unfair.

The International Boxing Association in 2023 disqualified Khelif and Taiwanese fighter Lin Yu-ting after they failed to meet eligibility criteria to compete as women. At the time, IBA President Umar Kremlev told the Russian TASS News Agency that the athletes carried male XY chromosomes instead of the female XX chromosomes.

The association on Monday clarified why Khelif and Lin were disqualified from women’s competitions. While the IBA has refused to publish the exact details and results of the tests, the association said blood tests for both fighters showed that they did not meet requirements to compete as women. Khelif and Lin in 2023 acknowledged the IBA’s decision to disqualify them, and Lin did not appeal the decision. Khelif submitted additional medical documents to appeal the decision, but the IBA upheld its ruling. Meanwhile, the International Olympic Committee has backed the fighters and supported their ability to compete against women.

Dig deeper: Listen to Katie McCoy address the controversy on The World and Everything in It.