Algerian boxer Imane Khelif wins Olympic gold : NPR

PARIS — The Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has won the Olympic gold medal, defiant amid the international political controversy that loomed over her every bout as she advanced through the women’s boxing event in the 2024 Summer Games.

Over three rounds Saturday, the crowd at Roland-Garros Stadium in Paris chanted her name and cheered wildly with every blow that Khelif landed on her opponent, China’s Yang Liu. The two took turns as the aggressor in the close match. As the bell rang to signal the end of each round, the two boxers respectfully tapped the other’s glove.

In the end, the judges agreed: Khelif had bested Yang to win the 66-kilogram weight class gold medal. And the thousands of Algeria fans who packed the stands cheered with delight as Khelif took her victory, sitting astride the shoulders of a coach.

Algeria’s Imane Khelif celebrates winning the gold medal with her coaches Mohamed Chaoua and Mohamed Al-Shawa after the Boxing Women’s 66kg final against Liu Yang of China on Friday.

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Questions and criticism over the 25-year-old’s eligibility to participate in the Olympics had persisted even as Olympic officials repeatedly defended her and a second boxer who had also been a target, Lin Yu-Ting of Taiwan, who will compete for the gold medal in her own weight class on Saturday.

The controversy over the two women stems from a decision by the International Boxing Association to disqualify them after claiming they had each failed two gender eligibility tests in the past two years. The IBA, a Russia-linked organization that has been banned from the Olympics over corruption concerns, has refused to produce the results or describe how the tests were conducted. At times, its officials have given conflicting accounts of what the tests entailed.

Khelif and Lin have both competed in women’s boxing for years. Olympic officials have dismissed the IBA test results and accused the organization of political motivations in conducting and publicizing the tests.

Earlier Friday, Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee rejected the suggestion that the two women were allowed to compete in the name of inclusion.

Speaking Friday about the ongoing controversy, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said, “This is not a question of inclusion. That never played a role in all this. Women must be allowed to take part in women’s competitions, and the two are women.”

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“This is not a question of inclusion. That never played a role in all this,” Bach said. “Women must be allowed to take part in women’s competitions, and the two are women.”

Bach said the IOC would welcome an eligibility test that could be conducted in accordance with both science and human rights. “We do not like this uncertainty,” he said.

“But what is not possible,” he continued, would be to disqualify competitors because “someone saying, ‘This is not a woman,’ just by looking at somebody or by falling prey to a defamation campaign by a not credible organization with highly political interests.”

The stands at Roland-Garros Stadium were packed with Algerians and others rooting for Khelif. France is home to the largest population of Algerians outside of the north African country.

Among those in attendance at the bout Friday was Lilia Bellahsene, an Algerian-American woman who moved to France last year. She and her French-Algerian cousin found last-minute tickets to see Khelif, she said.

“She is really, for me, a symbol of resilience and fight,” Bellahsene said. “We want to show her some support. We want to tell her that she made us proud, not just as Algerians but as people.”