Olympic boxer Imane Khelif has called for an end to bullying after backlash over gender misconceptions

PARIS – Olympic boxer Imane Khelif said the wave of hateful scrutiny she faced over misconceptions about her gender “damages human dignity” and called for an end to bullying of athletes after being hit hard by the international backlash against her .

The Algerian athlete spoke about her tumultuous Olympic experience Sunday night in an interview with SNTV, a sports video partner of The Associated Press.

“I am sending a message to all people in 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 this, I ask them to refrain from aggression.”

The victories of Khelif and fellow Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting in the Paris ring became one of the biggest stories of the Paris Games. Both women won their first Olympic medals even as they faced online abuse based on unsubstantiated claims about their gender, drawing them into a larger divide over changing attitudes toward gender identity and regulations in sports.

Khelif, 25, admitted the pressure and pain of enduring the ordeal while competing far from home in the biggest event of her athletics career.

“I am in contact with my family two days a week. I hope they were not deeply affected,” she said. “They 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 permanently 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 if she had undergone tests other than the anti-doping tests, saying she did not want to talk about it.

She expressed her gratitude to the International Olympic Committee and its president, Thomas Bach, for standing firmly behind her as the former banned Olympic boxing governing body caused a furore over her participation in Paris.

“I know the Olympic Committee did me justice and I’m happy with this remedy because it shows the truth,” she said.

She also saw massive support for her attacks, drawing cheers when she entered the arena and crowds waving Algerian flags chanting her first name. She will fight again on Tuesday in the women’s 66kg semifinals at Roland Garros.

Khelif has repeatedly made it clear that she will not allow talk or accusations to deter her from trying to claim Algeria’s first Olympic gold medal in women’s boxing.

“I don’t care what anyone thinks,” Khelif said a day after beating Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori. “I came here for a medal and to compete for a medal. I will definitely compete to improve (and) be better and, God willing, I will improve, like any other athlete.”

Although she is aware of the worldwide discussion about her, Khelif said she has been somewhat distant.

“Honestly, I don’t follow social media,” she said. “There’s a mental health team that doesn’t let us watch social media, especially at the Olympics, whether it’s me or other athletes. I’m here to compete. and get a good result.”

Khelif began her Olympic run last Thursday with a victory over Italy’s Angela Carini, who abandoned the match after just 46 seconds. Carini later said she regretted her decision and wanted to apologize to Khelif.

That unusual ending sent the chatter surrounding Khelif into a frenzy, drawing comments from former US President Donald Trump, “Harry Potter” writer JK Rowling and others falsely claiming Khelif was male or transgender.

The IOC has repeatedly said she and Lin have qualified to compete in the Olympics and condemned the unclear testing standards and non-transparent governance of the IBA, which was barred from last year’s Olympics entirely, in a unprecedented punishment for a governing body.

Khelif clearly felt the weight of world scrutiny weighing on her, and her win over Hamori on Saturday seemed to be cathartic. After the referee raised Khelif’s hand in victory, she walked to the center of the ring, waved to her fans, knelt down and slammed her palm down 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 win, it was a mixture of joy and at the same time I was very affected, because honestly, it was” not an easy thing to go through at all. It was something that harms human dignity.”

She competed in IBA events for several years without any problems until she was suddenly suspended from last year’s world championships. The Russian-dominated body – which has faced years of confrontation with the IOC – has refused to provide any information about the tests.

The Algerian National Boxing Federation is still a member of the IBA.

Khelif is from rural northwest Algeria and grew up playing soccer until he fell in love with boxing. Overcoming her father’s initial objections, she traveled 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) by bus to train for fights in a neighboring town.

After reaching the highest level of the sport in her late teens, she struggled early in her career before reaching an elite level. Khelif was a solid, if unspectacular, international competitor for six years and lost to Ireland’s eventual gold medalist Kellie Harrington at the Tokyo Olympics.

Khelif’s next match in Paris is against Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng. If Khelif wins again, he will fight for a gold medal on Friday.

“Yes, this issue involves the dignity and honor of every woman and woman,” she told an Algerian broadcaster in brief remarks on Sunday after beating Hamori. “The Arab population has known me for years and has seen me framed in the IBA which has wronged me (and) treated me unfairly, but I have God on my side.”

___

Habbari is a SNTV video journalist. SNTV videojournalist Tarek Boussaha and AP videojournalist Lujain Jo contributed from Paris.