The Algerian Imane Khelifwho as a child had to defend himself from his neighbors in order to play soccer with the boys in his western village Algerianow deal with some Olympic Games as a boxer, questioned because of his gender.
When he traded the ball for gloves, which meant the financial cost to the family of paying for the bus to travel to practice, Khelif She was unable to tell her father, a welder, who did not approve of women’s boxing, recalls UNICEF in its female ambassador profile.
“To raise money for transportation, Magnet He sold scrap metal for recycling and his mother, couscous (wheat semolina from Maghreb cuisine). Together they were able to pay for a bus to the city so that Imane could have regular boxing training sessions,” UNICEF detailed in an interview with Khelif March 2024.
The controversy over it 2024 Olympic Gamesboosted by political leaders, was subsequently disqualified for the Boxing World Cups in 2023 due to a gender test that determined she had “competitive advantages over other female competitors” without ending up with testosterone levels or the chromosome discussed.
The test was conducted by the International Boxing Association (IBA), which is not organizing the Paris Olympic competition due to a previous suspension by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) due to financial and refereeing irregularities.
For this reason, the entity that controls boxing at the Olympic Games is Boxing Task Force (BTF)created by the IOC, which allowed the Algerian Khelif and the Taiwanese Lin Yu-ting to compete in Paris 2024, both of whom were questioned in previous competitions.
In competition
The Algerian Olympic Committee (COA) supported in a statement the position of the IOC that allowed Khelif to compete in these Olympic Games, which sparked a debate about the different standards between the organizations.
The Hungarian Anna Luca Hamori is the next rival of Khelif in the match this Saturday, August 3 after the Italian Angela Carini He retired in the round of 16 at 46 seconds, after receiving two powerful punches from Khelif.
Amid intense controversy, Khelif declared that he “will continue to focus on achieving his goal of winning an Olympic competition,” Algerian news agency APS reported.
Imane Khelif, an Algerian woman
At 25 years old, Khelif often appears indifferent to controversies and emphasizes in his public appearances in local and international media the health benefits of sport in “overweight and obesity”, for residents in “villages ” and the situation “of girls”.
“Many parents are unaware of the benefits of sport and how it can improve not only physical fitness but also mental well-being,” Imane added in an interview with UNICEF.
Although social networks and Algerian media are now showing their support for Khelif, the IOC yesterday Thursday defended its decision to allow the two boxers in question, an Algerian and a Taiwanese, to compete as women at the Paris Olympic Games.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
