Controversial female boxer at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Imane Khelif, has officially spoken out after the media and fans questioned her gender.

Imane Khelif is one of the most controversial names at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Algerian boxer “covered” the whole world right after her first match, when she made Angela Carini retire after only 46 seconds.

After the loss, Angela Carini hinted that she had to compete with men and had to endure punches “unprecedentedly strong” in her career. Everything would have been fine if Imane Khelif had not been disqualified from the 2023 World Championships for having high testosterone levels, exceeding the standard. The International Boxing Association (IBA) stepped in, conducted a DNA test and discovered that Khelif had the XY chromosome.

However, the IBA did not provide clear evidence, causing their decision to be ignored by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The 2024 Paris Olympics also have a much simpler gender screening process for athletes, only through passports and medical documents. The IOC has publicly criticized the IBA for acting arbitrarily in the context that the IBA is not allowed to participate in organizing the matches at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Despite the IOC’s protection, Imane Khelif has still received a lot of criticism and become the center of controversy among fans around the world. One side defends Imane Khelif, the other side believes that she is not suitable to compete in the women’s event.

After defeating Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori in the quarter-finals, Imane Khelif burst into tears and shouted: “I am a woman”. Until now, the Algerian boxer has officially spoken out. In an interview with SNTV, she stressed: “I want to send a message to everyone in the world to uphold the Olympic principles and the Olympic Charter, to refrain from bullying all athletes, because this has an impact, a huge impact”.

“Bullying can destroy people, it can kill people’s thoughts, their spirits and their minds. It can divide people. And so I ask them to refrain from bullying”.

In addition, Imane Khelif admitted that she was under great pressure, but wanted to turn her “pain” into strength to win the gold medal. Imane Khelif added: “I contact my family twice a week. I hope they are not too affected. They are very worried. I want this crisis to end with a gold medal. That would be the strongest response”.