Imane Khelif's dad breaks silence with passionate defence of his daughter following gender rule break controversy
Imane Khelif's dad has passionately defended his daughter after a gender row erupted following her victory in the women's 66kg category.
This comes after Khelif was disqualified from last year’s Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi for not being able to meet their gender eligibility criteria.
Amid her inclusion in the Paris Olympics, Khelif is one of the two athletes (Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting) cleared to compete in the women’s boxing.
The Algerian, who was born and raised as a girl, faced Italy's Angela Carini in the Olympics round of 16 bout on Thursday (1 August), when the opponent decided to abandon the match after 46 seconds.
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Carini signalled that she was unable to carry on due to pain in her nose, her coach said.
After refusing to communicate with Khelif after the loss, the Italian cried: “It hurt so much. I am heartbroken.
“I went to the ring to honour my father. I was told a lot of times that I was a warrior, but I preferred to stop for my health. I have never felt a punch like this.”
Days later, however, Carini admitted that she wanted to apologise for her behaviour.
"All this controversy makes me sad," she told the Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.
"I'm sorry for my opponent, too. If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision.
"It wasn't something I intended to do.
"Actually, I want to apologise to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke."
The Algerian Olympic Committee has also defended Khelif from the backlash, saying: "We strongly support our heroine and continue to defend her rights as a fair and qualified competition."
Meanwhile, Imane's father, Omar Khelif, has insisted that his daughter deserves to fight.
"My child is a girl. She was raised as a girl. 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 told Sky News.
"The Italian opponent she faced was unable to defeat my daughter because my daughter was stronger and she was softer."
After Thursday's fight, the IOC and Paris 2024 Boxing Unit said in a statement: “Every person has the right to practise sport without discrimination.
“Eligibility rules should not be changed during ongoing competition, and any rule change must follow appropriate processes and should be based on scientific evidence.
“The IOC is committed to protecting the human rights of all athletes participating in the Olympic Games as per the Olympic Charter, the IOC Code of Ethics and the IOC Strategic Framework on Human Rights.
"The IOC is saddened by the abuse that the two athletes are currently receiving."
Anish Vij