Imane Khelif will fight in the boxing semifinals at the Paris Olympics

ANigerian boxer Imane Khelif, who faced scrutiny during the Paris Games, is now guaranteed at least an Olympic bronze medal after defeating Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori by unanimous decision in the quarter-finals.

Khelif’s defeat in her opening bout over Italy’s Angela Carini on Thursday – Carini withdrew after 46 seconds – sparked international outrage, as the International Boxing Association (IBA) said last year that she had failed in a unspecified gender test at the Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi. , disqualifying her from the event.

Today, however, a pro-Algerian, pro-Khelif faction at the North Paris Arena in Villepinte, France, gave them a practical home advantage.

Isamel Lyaakoubi, a Parisian chemical engineer who still has family in the North African country, wrapped himself in the Algerian flag. “Some people made really bad comments about her,” says Lyaakoubi, referring to the torrent of online abuse Khelif faced.of American politicians and media commentators and others – due to the gender controversy. “It’s very important to be there to represent our country, to represent Imane.” He called it a moment of unity for the nation.

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“It’s political,” says Noura Dele, who was born in Algeria and now works in commercial finance, referring to the backlash. Dele called it “defamation.” She thinks Khelif’s story—her mother sold couscous to raise money for her boxing lessons, and her father, who originally did not approve of boxing for girls, told AFP from a rural village on the outskirts of Tiaret, Algeria: “My daughter is a girl. She was raised as a girl. She’s a strong girl – I raised her to work and be brave.”

“Today”, says Dele, “all people want to give power to Imane”.

The fight was civil, as Khelif clearly landed more punches and showed greater speed than his opponent. They slapped gloves together, in a gesture of sportsmanship, after the second of three rounds. After the decision for Khelif was made official, they exchanged a kind of friendly half-hug.

Khelif cried with joy after his victory, knowing he had won a medal. “They bullied her! They bullied her! Long live Algeria!” his trainer shouted as Khelif left the ring.

Addressing reporters in Hungarian after the fight, Hamori said the fight was fair, according to a Hungarian journalist who interpreted Hamori’s words for English-speaking journalists. “This was my childhood dream,” said Hamori, who is making her Olympic debut, in English. “That’s why I’m very happy and I wish my opponent and the others good luck in the final.” Hamori did not answer questions in English.

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“I’m not scared,” Hamori said after Thursday’s fight, about the prospect of facing Khelif today. “If she or he is a man, it will be a bigger victory for me if I win. So let’s do it.” Hamori appeared to have shared posts on his Instagram story that called Khelif a “boxer” and portrayed his opponent as a beast. She then appeared to delete them.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) criticized the protocol and veracity of the tests administered by the IBA, the body that disqualified Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting, a boxer competing for Chinese Taipei, from these 2023 championships. world boxing regulator last year. The IBA said yesterday it would award $100,000 in prize money to Carini, his coach and the Italian federation.

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“I couldn’t look at her tears,” said IBA President Umar Kremlev, who is from Russia – a country whose Olympic teams are excluded from these Games but has individual athletes in some competitions –.said in a statement. “I am not indifferent to such situations and I can guarantee that we will protect every boxer. I don’t understand why they kill women’s boxing. Only eligible athletes should compete in the ring for the sake of safety.”

At a press conference on Saturday morning, IOC President Thomas Bach reiterated that neither Khelif nor Yu-Ting are transgender. “We have two boxers who were (each) born as a woman, who were raised as a woman, who have a woman’s passport and who competed for many years as a woman,” Bach said. “And this is the clear definition of a woman. There was never any doubt about them (each) being women.”

The international crowd of television media – in the dozens, if not hundreds, as if it were a boxing match in Las Vegas – shouted questions and sought positions. “I want to tell the whole world that I am a woman and will continue to be a woman”, Khelif said. She said the IBA was doing her “injustice”: Khelif walked past print reporters without answering questions. Boxing doesn’t have bronze medal fights, so even if she loses to Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand in the 66kg semifinals on Tuesday, she will win one of two bronzes in her category.

Hungarian IOC member Balazs Furjes told reporters after the match that Hamori never considered refusing to fight Khelif. “We are ready to fight in difficult circumstances,” he said. Furjes said the IOC must carefully evaluate its policies after the Games. “We are 100% convinced that the International Olympic Committee will make the right decisions.” Furjes said.

Was it a fair fight? I asked him.

“We said what should have been said,” replied Furjes. “Thank you very much.”