In a dramatic turn of events at the Paris Olympics, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has advanced to the women’s welterweight final after defeating Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng by unanimous decision in the semi-finals held on Tuesday at Roland Garros.
Khelif, who won a silver medal at the 2022 World Championships, has been at the center of a gender dispute that has garnered significant attention both at the Games and on social media. Along with Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting, Khelif was previously disqualified from the 2023 World Championships in New Delhi after the International Boxing Association (IBA) deemed both fighters ineligible based on sex chromosome tests.
Despite this controversy, Khelif remains focused on her performance. “I don’t want anything to be said about the controversy,” she stated following her semi-final victory.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), which has taken over the organization of boxing at the Paris Games after stripping the IBA of its governing status in 2023, has rejected the IBA’s gender tests as “arbitrary and illegitimate.” The IOC has reinstated the boxing eligibility rules used in the 2016 and 2021 Olympics, which do not include gender testing, allowing both Khelif and Lin to compete in Paris.
This marks a significant comeback for Khelif, who had previously defeated Suwannapheng in the semi-finals of the 2023 World Championships before her disqualification. Suwannapheng went on to win the silver medal in that event after Khelif’s disqualification.
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