Imane Khelif is finally breaking her silence over a medical report about her gender.
Gold medallist Algeria’s Imane Khelif (Photo by MOHD RASFAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Earlier this month, French journalist Djaffar Ait Aoudia shocked the world when he published a report that stated the Algerian boxer has XY chromosomes and a genetic disorder.
This came as welcome news to everyone who made her the enemy of the Olympic Games when social media targeted her and another woman as being men fighting against biological women.
She took gold in the women’s welterweight competition at this summer’s Games in Paris, which became a huge controversy after the International Boxing Association said the Algerian had been disqualified from last year’s world championships for failing gender eligibility criteria.
The International Olympic Committee, however, defended Imane Khelif and her right to compete throughout the games.
Now, she is gearing up for her next battle, but this time, it will be inside of a courtroom instead of a ring.
Appearing on the Lo Stato delle Cose show with Massimo Giletti on Italian TV, Imane Khelif said: ‘I didn’t know the statements of President Meloni, but I saw that many politicians and presidents speak without any real source.
‘We will meet with the French journalist in court,’ she fired back, per Daily Mail.
The French journalist has yet to speak out about being taken to court.
“Any person who is exposed to this bullying and hatred finds it more difficult to win. But I have learned a lot from this experience. The more a person desires success, the easier it is to achieve it,” she concluded.
Imane Khelif Became A Viral Sensation For All The Wrong Reasons After Opponent Quit In the Middle of Bout
Imane Khelif, widely unknown at the start of the Olympics, would be come a household name after she hit her first-round opponent so hard that she withdrew in just 46 seconds.
Angela Carini of Italy said, “This is unjust,” as she fell to her knees in the ring after quitting.
Carini and Khelif exchanged only a few punches before Carini decided she could take no more and abandoned the bout.
After the bout, Carini refused a handshake from Khelif.
“I’ve never taken a punch like that, it’s impossible to continue. I’m nobody to say it’s illegal.
“I got into the ring to fight. But I didn’t feel like it anymore after the first minute. I started to feel a strong pain in my nose. I didn’t give up, but a punch hurt too much and, so I said enough. I’m leaving with my head held high.”
‘Don’t go, it’s a man’
What led has been a nightmare for Imane Khelif as she has not known peace since social media found out she failed gender eligibility tests in 2023.
Despite having the International Olympic Committee on her side, the reaction to her possibly being a man has never subsided.