Algerian gender-row boxer Khelif storms to Olympic gold

PARIS )Reuters): Algerian boxer Imane Khelif defied a major gender controversy to win gold at the Paris Olympics on Friday in front of a pulsating Roland Garros crowd that roared her to victory.

Khelif claimed a unanimous points decision win over China’s Yang Liu in the women’s 66kg final and was paraded around the arena on a team member’s shoulders.

Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, who together with Khelif was disqualified from last year’s world championships after failing gender eligibility testing, fights in the women’s 57kg final on Saturday.

“I’m very happy. For eight years this has been my dream and I’m now the Olympic champion and gold medallist,” said Khelif, 25. “I’ve worked for eight years, no sleep, eight years tired. Now I’m Olympic champion.”

Khelif is the first Algerian woman to win an Olympic boxing gold medal as well as the first Algerian boxer to win gold since Hocine Soltani at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting were caught up in a storm that has dominated headlines and been the subject of heated debate on social media platforms.

Both were disqualified by the International Boxing Association (IBA) from the 2023 World Championships, which said a sex chromosome test had ruled both of them ineligible.

They are competing in the Olympics after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stripped the IBA of its status as the sport’s governing body in 2023 and took control of organising boxing in Paris.

At these Games, the IOC is using boxing eligibility rules that were applied at the 2016 and 2021 Olympics which do not include gender testing.