2024 Paris Olympic Games: Live coverage from day 11
Algeria’s Imane Khelif has won her semi-final and will now fight for gold in the women’s 66kg class. Catch up on a massive night of action which brought Australia more gold.
The Paris Olympics’ most controversial athlete, Imane Khelif, has appealed to stop the “bullying” and defiantly declared the gender-eligibility “crisis” will finish with her winning a gold medal.
In an emotional riposte at her critics, the besieged boxer said critics won’t bully her into failure as the IOC’s worst nightmare became a reality on Wednesday at world famous Roland Garros.
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif - whom the IOC claimed wasn’t that dominant - will fight for an Olympic gold medal after winning an incendiary semi-final, ensuring the toxic biological firestorm will rage for the rest of the Games.
In what has been a public-relations disaster for the IOC, Khelif has an unblemished record at these Games, winning every round in an utterly dominant display and will go into the gold-medal bout on Saturday as the hot favourite.
Having trounced Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng in a unanimous verdict, Khelif warned she has the “heart and spirit to rule the Arab world and the world” and insisted “we are close to the gold medal”.
It’s been an emotional rollercoaster for the 25-year-old in Paris. The International Boxing Association says tests show Khelif is biologically male and should be banned from fighting against women, but the Algerian vowed to overcome intense bullying to win gold.
“I send a message to all the people of 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.
“It can destroy people.
“It can kill people’s thoughts, spirit and mind. It can divide people. And because of that, I ask them to refrain from bullying.
“I know that the Olympic Committee has done me justice, and I am happy with this remedy because it shows the truth.
“My family are worried about me.
“But God willing, this crisis will culminate in a gold medal, and that would be the best response.”
Khelif wagged a finger to all four corners of the huge crowd after the latest triumph and then danced a jig on the canvas, knowing that at best a gold medal is within reach and at worst, a silver medal.
The hard-hitting Algerian has been ruthlessly hounded in this tournament and is bracing for more global condemnation if she wins Saturday morning’s final against China’s Liu Yang.
“I don’t care about anyone’s opinion,” Khelif said in Arabic.
“I came here for a medal, and to compete for a medal. I will certainly be competing to improve (and) be better, and God willing, I will improve, like every other athlete.”
“I came here for my goal. I hope I will be at the same level on the 9th of August. I hope I will perform well.
“I consider myself talented and I really am talented. I will do my best to provide you with an enjoyable viewing around the world. Thank you.”
The controversy surrounding Khelif was sparked when the IBA ordered two genetic blood tests in 2022 and 2023, the latter of which allegedly showed the Algerian had male XY chromosomes - suggesting an intersex medical condition.
But the IOC which has dismissed sex testing as “disgraceful” is satisfied only with a female passport and predictably Khelif won on Wednesday in a unanimous points decision.
The IOC ignored a letter from the IBA informing them of the XY result more than a year ago, creating an aggressive atmosphere at the boxing with female fighters believing they go into the ring with a distinct disadvantage in testosterone levels, power levels and punching impact.
Khelif has now won 16 bouts in succession and is unbeaten in more than two years.
On Wednesday morning, Khelif was so dominant in the fight against Thai champion Suwannapheng in the 66kg weight class that one of the five judges scored one round with a comprehensive mark of 10-8.
This follows on from earlier rounds against females who had protested verbally and with “XX” symbols at the unfairness of having to fight a boxer with XY chromosomes.
Khelif’s shocking 46-second win against Italy’s Angela Carini last Thursday and an easy demolition of Hungarian Anna Luca Hamori has thrust the IOC’s ideology that DSD athletes are “women” front and centre in the global spotlight.
The boxing finals, which have moved to Court Phillipe Chatrier at the famous Roland Garros tennis centre, has been inundated with a huge Algerian contingent chanting, stomping and waving huge flags.
The atmosphere raised ten notches when Khelif was shown preparing for the bout on the big screen, and there were even boos for the 23-year-old Thai opponent who has expressed views that the Algerian has the “male hormone”.
Official Olympic broadcasters have appeared to follow the IOC line “to dial it down”. The BBC didn’t show the bout and Eurosport did not refer to the gender row once. Channel Nine appears to have airbrushed the controversy as well.
The most famous intersex athlete, Caster Semenya, has criticised the IOC for its handling of the Khelif saga, questioning why “the big governing body allows this sort of thing to happen”.
Semenya added: “They (IOC) should stand their ground and lead by example.
“It’s about quality leadership that safeguards, protects, and respects women.
“The minute they allowed women to be disgraced, it confuses us.”
It seems only a boxing miracle will stop Khelif winning gold. The IOC should hold its breath. The world is watching.
Relive all the action from day 11 of the 2024 Paris Games with our blog below
Originally published as 2024 Paris Olympic Games: Live coverage from day 11
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