Olympic boxer Imane Khelif says the wave of hateful scrutiny she has faced over misconceptions about her gender “harms human dignity” and is calling for an end to the bullying of athletes after being greatly affected by the international backlash against her.
The Algerian athlete spoke about her tumultuous Olympic experience on Sunday night in an interview with SNTV, a sports video partner of The Associated Press.
“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,” Khelif said in Arabic.
“It can destroy people, it can kill people’s thoughts, spirit and mind. It can divide people. And because of that, I ask them to refrain from bullying.”
The victories of Khelif and fellow boxer Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan in the ring in Paris have become one of the biggest stories of the Paris Games.
Both women have clinched their first Olympic medals even as they have faced online abuse based on unsubstantiated claims about their gender, drawing them into a wider divide over changing attitudes toward gender identity and regulations in sports.
The 25-year-old Khelif acknowledged her ordeal while competing in the most important event of her athletic career.
“My family … are worried about me. God willing, this crisis will culminate in a gold medal and that would be the best response.”
The vitriol stems from claims by the International Boxing Association, which has been banned from the Olympics, that both Khelif and Lin failed unspecified eligibility tests for the women’s competition at last year’s world championships.
Khelif declined to answer when asked whether she had undergone tests other than doping tests.
She expressed gratitude to the International Olympic Committee and its president, Thomas Bach, for standing behind her.
“I know that the Olympic Committee has done me justice, and I am happy with this remedy because it shows the truth,” she said.
She will fight again Tuesday in the women’s 66-kilogram semifinals at Roland Garros.
Khelif says she won’t allow chatter to deter her from attempting to claim Algeria’s first Olympic gold medal in women’s boxing.
“I don’t care about anyone’s opinion,” Khelif said a day after beating Anna Luca Hamori of Hungary.
“I came here for a medal, and to compete for a medal.”
Although she is aware of the worldwide discussion about her, Khelif said she has been somewhat removed.
“There is a mental health team that doesn’t let us follow social media, especially in the Olympic Games, whether me or other athletes. I’m here to compete and get a good result.”
Khelif started her Olympic run on Thursday with a victory over Angela Carini of Italy, who abandoned the bout after just 46 seconds. Carini later said she regretted her decision and wished to apologise to Khelif.
That raised the chatter around Khelif into a roar, drawing comments from the likes of former US President Donald Trump, Harry Potter author JK Rowling and others claiming Khelif was a man or transgender.
The IOC declared her and Lin qualified to participate in the Olympics.
Khelif’s victory over Hamori on Saturday appeared to be cathartic.
After the referee raised Khelif’s hand she went to the centre of the ring, waved to her fans, knelt and slammed her palm on the canvas, her smile turning to tears.
“I couldn’t control my nerves,” Khelif said in the interview.
“Because after the media frenzy and after the victory, there was a mix of joy and at the same time, I was greatly affected, because honestly, it wasn’t an easy thing to go through at all.
“It was something that harms human dignity.”
