PARIS — Imane Khelif, an Olympic boxer, said that the hateful attention she has been getting because of misunderstandings about her gender “harms human dignity.” She also called for an end to bullying athletes because the backlash against her has had a big effect on her.
In an interview with SNTV, a sports video partner of the Associated Press, on Sunday night, the Algerian athlete talked about her rough time at the Olympics.
“I send a message to everyone in the world to respect the Olympic principles and the Olympic Charter and to stop bullying all athletes,” Khelif said in Arabic. “This has effects, huge effects.” “It can hurt people and kill their thoughts, spirit, and mind.” It can make people disagree. And because of that, I ask them not to be mean.
One of the most talked-about parts of the Paris Games was how Khelif and fellow boxer Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan won in the ring. Both women won their first Olympic medals, but they also had to deal with online abuse based on false claims about their gender. This drew them into a larger debate about how attitudes are changing about gender identity and sports rules.
The 25-year-old Khelif admitted that going through this ordeal while competing far away in the most important event of her athletic career was hard and painful.
There are two days a week when I talk to my family. “I hope they weren’t hurt too badly,” she said. “They’re scared about me.” If God wills it, this crisis will end with a gold medal, which is the best thing that could happen.
The anger comes from the International Boxing Association’s (IBA) claims that both Khelif and Lin failed unspecified tests to be eligible for the women’s competition at last year’s world championships. The IBA has been banned from the Olympics for good.
Khelif wouldn’t say if she had been through any tests besides doping tests because she didn’t want to talk about it.
She told the International Olympic Committee and its president, Thomas Bach, how grateful she was that they stood by her even though the banned former Olympic boxing governing body caused a stir about her going to Paris.
“This remedy shows the truth, and I am happy with it,” she said. “I know that the Olympic Committee did me right.”
She has also had a lot of support at her fights. When she walks into the arena, people cheer and wave Algerian flags while chanting her first name. Another fight is coming up for her on Tuesday at Roland Garros in the 66-kilogram women’s semifinals.
Khelif has made it clear many times that she will not let talk or accusations stop her from trying to win Algeria’s first Olympic gold medal in women’s boxing.
Khelif said the day after beating Anna Luca Hamori of Hungary, “I don’t care what other people think.” It was my goal to win a medal, so I came here. I will definitely be competing to get better, and God willing, I will get better, just like every other athlete.
Khelif said that she has been somewhat removed from the talk about her around the world.
She said, “To be honest, I don’t use social media.” “There is a mental health team that doesn’t let any of us use social media, especially during the Olympics. This includes other athletes and me.” “I came here to compete and do well.”
Angela Carini of Italy quit the fight after only 46 seconds, but Khelif beat her to start her Olympic run last Thursday. Later, Carini said she felt bad about what she did and wanted to say sorry to Khelif.
People talking about Khelif went crazy after the story’s strange ending. Former U.S. President Donald Trump, author of “Harry Potter,” J.K. Rowling, and others said things that were not true, like that Khelif was a man or transgender.
The IOC said over and over that she and Lin were qualified to compete in the Olympics, and it has criticised the IBA’s unclear testing standards and opaque leadership. Last year, the IBA was banned from all future Olympics, which was a punishment that had never been seen before for a governing body.
Khelif clearly felt the pressure of being watched by people all over the world, and her win over Hamori on Saturday seemed to help her relax. The referee raised Khelif’s hand to show that she had won. She then went to the middle of the ring, waved to her fans, knelt down, and slammed her palm on the canvas, tears in her eyes.
Khelif said in the interview, “I couldn’t calm down.” “Because there was a mix of happiness and sadness after the media frenzy and after the win. To be honest, it wasn’t easy at all.” It was something that makes people less worthy of respect.
She had been competing in IBA events without any problems for a few years before she was suddenly kicked out of last year’s world championships. The body, which is mostly made up of Russians and has had many disagreements with the IOC over the years, has refused to give any information about the tests.
The national boxing federation of Algeria is still a member of the IBA.
Khelif is from a rural area in the northwest of Algeria. As a child, she played football, but then she fell in love with boxing. Even though her father at first didn’t want her to, she took a bus 10 kilometres to train for fights in a nearby town.
After getting to the top level of the sport when she was in her late teens, she had a rough start to her career before she got to the top level. Khelif has been a good, but not great, international competitor for six years. At the Tokyo Olympics, she lost to Kellie Harrington of Ireland, who went on to win the gold medal.
Khelif’s next fight is in Paris against Thai boxer Janjaem Suwannapheng. Khelif will try for a gold medal on Friday if she wins again.
“Yes, this issue affects the honour and dignity of all women and girls,” she told an Algerian TV station in a short interview Sunday, after beating Hamori. “The Arab people have known me for years and have seen me fight in the IBA, which has wronged me and been unfair to me, but God is on my side.”
