From a small village in Algeria, boxer Imane Khelif's father, Omar Khelif, proudly called her a heroine amid a gender eligibility controversy at the Paris Olympics. He emphasized that he raised her to be brave, sharing a childhood photo of her with braided hair.
Imane, who competes in the 66kg womens boxing category, is at the center of debate after reports surfaced of her failing unspecified gender eligibility tests. During a recent bout, she caused her Italian opponent, Angela Carini, to retire injured after just 46 seconds, igniting a social media uproar, including comments from former US president Donald Trump framing it as a men-versus-women issue.
There are no claims that Imane, who has competed as a woman for years, identifies otherwise. Her father provided identification and her birth certificate to clarify her identity, emphasizing, My child is a girl. She was raised as a girl. She is a strong girl - I raised her to work and be brave.
Imanes upcoming fight is against Hungary's Anna Luca Hamori in the quarter-finals, with a potential victory securing Algeria's first medal at the Paris Games. Omar maintained that Imane's win against Carini was due to her strength, not the controversy surrounding her.
In a recent UNICEF interview, Imane discussed her conservative upbringing and her fathers initial reluctance to accept her boxing career, which later transformed as he became one of her biggest supporters. She aims to inspire more girls to take up boxing, highlighting the limited opportunities for female athletes in Algeria.
