(LifeSiteNews) — Algeria’s Imane Khelif, a boxer believed by many to be male, has won the gold medal in the women’s boxing welterweight division at the Paris Olympics.
Khelif won the fight by unanimous decision Friday evening, handedly defeating China’s visibly outmatched Yang Liu. Current Olympic payouts for the gold-medal winner of the female tournament is $50,000 to the athlete, $25,000 to the athlete’s country and $25,000 to their coach.
Since the Olympics began, Khelif’s participation in women’s boxing has been a source of controversy after it became widely publicized that the athlete is actually male. The rumors were based on the fact that last year, the controversial Russian-linked International Boxing Association (IBA) disqualified Khelif from its Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi.
The details of that ruling have not been made public. The IBA simply stated that its determination was not made based on testosterone levels but on another test that it said revealed Khelif had a distinct “competitive advantages over other female competitors.” Another boxer currently competing in the women’s featherweight division at this year’s Olympics, Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, was likewise disqualified by the IBA.
Ambiguity of the disqualification has led to confusion, with many arguing Khelif is male and others insisting the boxer is female. In a seeming attempt to clear up the matter, last Thursday, IBA chief executive Chris Roberts told BBC sports editor Dan Roan that XY chromosomes were found in its test of Khelif.
Khelif’s gold medal victory was met with immediate backlash by social media users, including 12-time NCAA All-American female swimmer Riley Gaines.
🚨BREAKING: Imane Khelif (XY) dominated World Champion Lang Liu (XX) to win an Olympic gold medal.
Let me repeat that: a MALE has taken a WOMAN’S Olympic gold.
This is what they call this “progress.” It’s the ultimate betrayal of fairness, safety, and women by @iocmedia. pic.twitter.com/pHw1Ve4uTF
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) August 9, 2024