Algerian boxers after igniting the biggest controversy at the controversial Olympics in Paris last summer Imane Khelif Plan to do all this again in 2028.
Gold medal winner Tell ITV In an exclusive interview, athletes plan to compete in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, which will be the first Summer Olympics to be held in the United States since 1996. The 2028 Olympics will also be in the final year of President Donald Trump’s presidency, so far, defined by a part of the strict gender empowerment policy in women’s sports.
Khelif qualified for the International Boxing Association World Championships in 2023 for gender complementarity issues, but in the gold medal in women’s boxing, Khelif has created international anger in Paris. IBA President Umar Kremlev issued a statement to Russia’s Tass agency on why Khelif was disqualified.
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Imane Khelif from Algeria competes with Luca Anna Hamori of Hungary. (Sina Schuldt/Picture Alliance by Getty Images)
“Based on DNA tests, we identified many athletes who tried to trick colleagues into posing as females. Based on the results of the test, it was proved that they had XY chromosomes. These athletes were excluded from the competition.”
Khelif has not been proven to be a transgender person.
The Algerian Olympic Committee said at the time that Khelif was disqualified due to “medical reasons”. According to Reuters, Algerian media reported that Khelif was disqualified from having high testosterone levels. Khelif claims disqualification is part of a “conspiracy” to prevent Algeria from winning gold.
However, Khelif was allowed to compete in Paris and was fully supported by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and President Thomas Bach. As a result, the boxer prompted those who thought Khelif to be strongly opposed and should participate in the women category based on their past gender qualification issues.
These critics include Trump, billionaire Elon Musk and writer JK Rowling. Khelif filed a lawsuit for “serious online harassment” by public response to her participation.
“It also shocked me when I saw even the head of state, famous figures and former athletes talking about my not verifying the facts,” Khelif told ITV.
Right, Algeria’s Imane Khelif looked at Italy’s Angela Carini after her women’s 66kg boxing match at the Summer Olympics in Paris on August 1, 2024. (AP Photo/John Locher)
“They just talk without any reliable or documented information. I also noticed on social media that people are discussing this without any trusted source. That was the biggest impact on me in the beginning. Why am I, I, Imane Khelif, the goal of a sport?”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””
Khelif also told ITV that strong opposition has affected the health of athletes’ mothers.
“It has affected me as well as my family. Even my mother has been profoundly affected. She goes to the hospital almost every day. My relatives have been affected, and the weight of this situation is felt by the whole Algerians. It goes beyond a sports problem or game; it upgrades to a large media campaign that may have had a serious negative impact on my family and my mental attitude, she said.
“I was mentally profoundly affected and felt frustrated, but I still realized what was going on. Even during the Paris Olympics, I had a team of professional doctors who provided me with support and help. Without their support, I could get into a spiral of depression.”
But that hasn’t stopped Khelif from competing again in 2028, even with potentially stricter gender eligibility policies.
Trump has signed an executive order banning trans athletes from women and women’s sports nationwide and said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will be ordered to keep trans athletes at the 2028 Olympics.
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Imane Khelif of Algeria showed off Angela Carini of Italy after the battle. (Reuters/Isabel Baby)
However, Khelif claims that these policies do not apply to athletes.
“I will give you a simple answer: the US president has issued a decision related to US trans policy. I’m not a trans person. It has nothing to do with me, it doesn’t intimidate me. This is my response,” Khelif told ITV.
“To me, I see myself as a girl, like any other girl. I am a girl, a girl, a girl, and a girl all my life.”
With Bach leaving office this year, the next IOC president may also take a different position on the committee’s gender qualification policy. A potential successor is a former Olympic gold medalist Sebastian Co.
He had previously said in a November interview with the BBC that the situation involving Khelif made him feel “discomfortable”.
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