Boxer gets placed at center of gender argument triumphs Olympic gold

(MENAFN) Algerian boxer Imane Khelif secured the gold medal in the women’s welterweight final at the Paris Olympics on Friday, defeating China’s Yang Liu. Khelif’s victory has stirred significant controversy related to her gender eligibility.

Khelif’s triumph at the Games follows her disqualification from the Women’s World Boxing Championship in New Delhi last year. At that time, DNA tests led to her and several other athletes being deemed ineligible due to the presence of XY chromosomes, which prompted exclusion from the event. Umar Kremlev, president of the International Boxing Association (IBA), confirmed the disqualifications based on these genetic tests.

Despite this, Khelif was allowed to compete in the Paris Olympics, alongside Lin Yu-ting from Chinese Taipei, who had also faced disqualification last year. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) defended the eligibility of all competitors, with IOC spokesperson Mark Adams asserting that they met the required rules and casting doubt on the validity of last year’s tests.

Khelif's performance garnered widespread attention earlier this month when she defeated Italian boxer Angela Carini in just 46 seconds during a preliminary match. This rapid victory ignited debates online, with many criticizing Khelif's participation based on the previous gender testing controversies.

Notable figures such as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, British author J.K. Rowling, and American billionaire Elon Musk voiced their concerns, questioning the fairness of the competition and suggesting that athletes with male genetic traits should not compete in women’s events.

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