Imane Khelif reaches Olympic final amid gender controversy

Imane Khelif advanced to the finals of the Paris Olympic Games, defeating Thai boxer Janjaem Suwannapheng in the semi-finals. Before the bout, the Algerian's father addressed the "gender controversy," which his daughter became the centre of. He presented her birth certificate.

The controversy surrounding Imane Khelif emerged after her fight against Italy’s Angela Carini, who withdrew from the match after 26 seconds. The boxer from the Apennine Peninsula said she had never felt such powerful punches and that her quick surrender was due to fear for her own life.

Journalists worldwide focused on the Algerians, and netizens speculated about her gender. The doubts are compounded by the fact that before the 2022 World Championships, the boxer did not pass gender tests, which prevented her from competing in the IBA. The person in question maintains that she is a woman.

Imane Khelif advanced to the finals of the Olympic Games and can count on strong support from her family and the entire population of Algeria. Even her father, who stands firmly behind her, spoke out. He decided to show his daughter's birth certificate.

Omar Khelif appeared on the French television channel BFMTV, where he talked about his daughter and her story. He assured the camera that she was a woman, showing the entries on her birth certificate.

She's a strong girl. I raised her to be hard-working and brave. She has a strong will to work and to train — he said.

After winning the semi-final, Imane Khelif spoke out, appealing to critics to refrain from hate speech.

I send a message to all the people of the world to uphold the Olympic principles and the Olympic Charter, to refrain from bullying all athletes, because this has effects, massive effects — she said.