Imane Khelif claims boxing gold as gender debate overshadows Olympics

Algeria’s Imane Khelif won the gold medal in women’s welterweight boxing at the Olympics on Friday, defeating China’s Yang Liu in the final.

Khelif, who had previously won a silver medal at the 2022 world championships, has been at the centre of controversy at the Paris Games alongside Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting due to a gender dispute that has garnered significant media attention.

Khelif and Lin were disqualified from the 2023 World Championships in New Delhi by the International Boxing Association (IBA) after a sex chromosome test deemed them ineligible. However, both athletes were allowed to compete in the Paris Olympics after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) took control of organising the boxing events in Paris, following the IBA’s loss of status as the sport’s governing body.

The IOC dismissed the IBA-ordered tests as arbitrary and illegitimate, opting to use eligibility rules from the 2016 and 2021 Olympics, which do not involve gender testing.

The final saw Khelif’s supporters fill the stadium with Algerian flags as they cheered her on to victory. This win marks Khelif’s first Olympic medal and Algeria’s first-ever gold in boxing.

Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand and Taiwan’s Chen Nien-chin were awarded the bronze medals.