By Abdelaziz Boumzar and Thawab Herzallah
TIARET, Algeria (Reuters) – The father of Imane Khelif, the Algerian boxer at the centre of an Olympic row over whether athletes with Differences of Sexual Development (DSD) should compete as women, said she had honoured his family, calling attacks against her immoral.
Khelif failed a gender eligibility test at the International Boxing Association (IBA) World Championships last year but was allowed to participate at the Paris Games by the International Olympic Committee.
Her quick-fire Olympic victory over Italian boxer Angela Carini, who pulled out of their duel after suffering a series of painful blows, re-ignited a broader debate about gender differences in sport.
Khelif will face Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori later on Saturday in the women’s welterweight quarter-finals.
In an interview at his simple, cinderblock home on the outskirts of the northern Algerian city of Tiaret, Amar Khelif said he was proud of his daughter, and backed her to win a medal for all of all Algeria.
“Having such a daughter is an honour because she is a champion, she honoured me and I encourage her and I hope she will get the medal in Paris,” he said. “Imane is a little girl that has loved sport since she was six-years-old.”
He shared with Reuters an official-looking document, which showed her birthday.
“This is our family official document, May 2, 1999, Imane Khelif, female. It is written here you can read it, this document doesn’t lie,” he said.
Khelif fell foul of IBA eligibility rules that prevent athletes with XY chromosomes from competing in women’s events, when she was disqualified hours before her gold-medal bout in New Delhi last year.
However, the IBA was stripped of its status as the global governing body for boxing by the IOC last year, leaving the IOC in charge of running the boxing competition at the Paris Games.
The IOC, which states that inclusion should be the default and athletes should only be excluded from women’s competition if there are clear fairness or safety issues, has defended its decision to allow Khelif to compete.
In the Tiaret boxing club, where a poster featuring Khelif looms over the ring, young female boxers sprung to their idol’s defence.
Bouchra Rebihi, a 17-year-old who dreams of turning pro, scorned Khelif’s naysayers.
“I know Imane Khelif as the champion of Algeria many times, champion of Africa as well and also Arab champion,” she said.
“These critics aim to destabilize her to fail in the boxing ring but she is a champion and she will remain a champion.”
(Writing by Gabriel Stargardter; Editing by Richard Lough and Peter Rutherford)
