Boxer Imane Khelif at the Paris 2024 Olympics©AFP
Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif said she won for her country’s women as Algeria’s Paris Games medalists were given a hero’s welcome at Algiers airport on Monday. Khelif, who was the center of a gender controversy at the Olympics en route to the women’s 66kg title, teenage gymnastics gold medalist Kaylia Nemour and men’s 800m bronze medalist Djamel Sedjati brandished their medals to waiting fans. The crowd applauded Khelif with shouts of “Tahia Imane” (long live Imane). “The answer lies in the results of each match,” she said. “I wanted to show the strength of the performance and the presence of women in general, and Algerian women in particular.”
The International Olympic Committee took over the boxing competition in Paris after losing patience with the International Boxing Association.
The IBA, led by Umar Kremlev, a Kremlin-linked oligarch, retaliated during the Games by saying it had disqualified Khelif and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan from their world championships last year because their tests showed that “these are men.” The IBA allowed both boxers to compete in Tokyo three years ago.
Khelif, 25, addressed what he called a “relentless campaign” on Monday.
She said she wanted to “thank the Algerian people who supported me through this ordeal and gave me strength.”
“Algerian women are an example and a model for the whole world,” said the boxer. “Thank God, we restored Algeria’s honor and raised the Algerian flag in Paris, which is the most important thing.”
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