Boxer Imane Khelif clinches medal amid furor fueled by gender misconceptions

Boxer Imane Khelif of Algeria clinched a medal at the Paris Olympics in an emotional fight Saturday that followed days of sharp scrutiny and online abuse as misconceptions about her gender exploded into a larger clash about identity in sports.

Ms. Khelif defeated Anna Luca Hamori of Hungary 5:0 in the quarterfinals of the women’s 66-kilogram division. Ms. Khelif will win at least a bronze medal after she comfortably earned the second victory of her tumultuous second trip to the Olympics.

Ms. Khelif faced outcry fueled by claims from the International Boxing Association, which has been banned from the Olympics since 2019, that she failed an unspecified eligibility test to compete last year over elevated levels of testosterone. She won her opening bout at the Paris Games on Thursday when opponent Angela Carini of Italy tearfully abandoned the fight after just 46 seconds.

That unusual ending became a sharp wedge to drive into an already prominent divide over gender identity and regulations in sports, drawing comments from the likes of former U.S. President Donald Trump, “Harry Potter” writer J.K. Rowling and others falsely claiming Ms. Khelif was a man or transgender.

At a Paris Games that has championed inclusion and seen other outcry over an opening ceremony performance featuring drag queens, LGBTQ+ groups say the hateful comments could pose dangers to their community and female athletes.

Ms. Khelif's second win in Paris appeared to be an emotional catharsis for the 25-year-old boxer from a village in northwest Algeria. After her hand was raised in victory, Ms. Khelif went to the center of the ring, waved to her fans, knelt and then slammed her palm on the canvas, her smile turning to tears.

She left the ring to hug her coaches while her fans roared, weeping during their embrace and as she walked out. Back home in Algeria, her family and fans watched with pride as she won her second bout.

"I am happy for my daughter. She is courageous despite racist and sexist attacks to break her,” her mother, Irene, said on Algerian television.

Hungary’s boxing association said Friday that it planned to contest the matchup with the International Olympic Committee but still let the fight go ahead. After the bout, Hungarian IOC member Balazs Furjes said alongside Ms. Hamori that she was adamant that it was “never an option ... not to fight.”

“I’m so proud of myself, because I had to fight, and I like to fight,” said Ms. Hamori, who won two fights earlier in Paris. “This was a hard fight, but I think I got to do everything I wanted for the fight, and I think in this fight, I’m so proud of myself, and I’m so grateful to be here. This was really a childhood dream.”

Mr. Furjes read an equivocal statement in which he praised both Ms. Hamori and the IOC while indicating Hungary wasn't completely content.

“We, Hungarians, are always ready to fight bravely, and fiercely, and that’s what Luca has just done and showed us,” Mr. Furjes said. “Of course, the Paris box competitions have their consequences. These consequences must be carefully evaluated after the Games.”

Ms. Khelif stopped briefly to speak to an Algerian television crew, then walked straight to the dressing room without stopping for dozens of waiting reporters.

IOC President Thomas Bach earlier Saturday defended Ms. Khelif and fellow boxer Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan. Ms. Khelif and Ms. Lin were disqualified in the middle of last year's world championships by the IBA, the former governing body of Olympic boxing, after what it claimed were failed eligibility tests.

Both had competed in IBA events for several years without problems, and the Russian-dominated body – which has faced years of clashes with the IOC – has refused to provide any information about the tests, underscoring its lack of transparency in nearly every aspect of its dealings, particularly in recent years.

“Let’s be very clear here: We are talking about women’s boxing,” Mr. Bach said Saturday. “We have two boxers who are born as a woman, who have been raised a woman, who have a passport as a woman, and who have competed for many years as women. And this is the clear definition of a woman. There was never any doubt about them being a woman.”

The IBA, which is led by an acquaintance of Russian President Vladimir Putin, disqualified Ms. Khelif last year and called information about the tests confidential.

“What we see now is that some want to own the definition of who is a woman,” Mr. Bach said. “And there I can only invite them to come up with a scientific-based new definition of who is a woman; and how can somebody being born, raised, competed and having a passport as a woman cannot be considered a woman?

"We will not take part in a sometimes politically motivated cultural war,” he added.

This story was reported by The Associated Press.