Top 3 Combat Sports Stories From The 2024 Olympics

Imane Khelif wins gold after social media hatestorm

Imane Khelif. Photo via Instagram (@imane_khelif_10)

Algerian welterweight boxer Imane Khelif won gold on Friday as she defeated China’s Yang Liu.

Khelif is by far one of the most talked about athletes in the 2024 Olympics, overcoming a firestorm of hate on social media, where people including sports stars like Olympic boxer Claressa Shields, quickly questioned her gender without having all the facts.

The controversy stems from a decision by the International Boxing Association (IBA) to disqualify her after claiming she had failed two gender eligibility tests in the past two years.

”I’m a woman like any other woman. I was born a woman. I lived a woman. I competed as a woman. There’s no doubt about that,” Khelif said about her participation in the 2024 Olympics.

The Algerian 25-year-old made history as she became the first Arab or African woman to win a boxing gold.

According to French newspaper Le Monde, Khelif recently filed a legal complaint against the social media platform X for harassment.

“The boxer Imane Khelif has decided to begin a new fight, a fight for justice, dignity and honour,” Khelif’s lawyer Nabil Boudi said in a statement.