Olympic GOLD medalist Imane Khelif is set to become a professional boxer.
Khelif, 25, won the top prize in the women’s welterweight boxing category in Paris in the summer.
However, what should have been an exhilarating journey as she lifted Algeria’s first gold medal at the event was tarnished by a gender dispute.
After Italy’s Angela Carini exited their tournament opener after 46 seconds, unsubstantiated claims that she was born a boy spread like wildfire on social media.
Names with large followings including Elon Musk, JK Rowling and Donald Trump all entered the conversation, and Khelif condemned the subsequent attacks on him and his family as “vicious”.
This prompted him to file a lawsuit against Musk’s X platform for facilitating online harassment against him.
But following his success at the Paris Olympics, Khelif is now taking the next step in his already record-breaking boxing career.
Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, she said: “I wanted to hold a press conference today to share with you my success story to the media family and young women watching me.
“There is a documentary being prepared on my success story and it will be screened on international platforms.
“I will soon enter the world of professional boxing, I have many offers.
“At the moment, I have not decided where I will enter professional boxing.
“But I will take this step soon, we as Algerians want to see our level in the field of professionalism.”
Khelif’s latest video on Instagram shows him training with the caption: “Before being in the spotlight, the most important thing is mindset. Focused, locked in, ready to win a gold medal.”
Earlier this month the WBO was forced to deny “patently false” reports that it had banned Khelif and stripped him of his Paris medal for failing a gender eligibility test.
WBO legal adviser Gustavo Olivieri said in a statement that the body “has not tested, nor has it banned,” Khelif and has not communicated with him.
Because Khelif is still an amateur, the WBO has no jurisdiction or power to revoke his medal.
A year before the Olympics, Khelif was disqualified from the Women’s World Championships for violating the International Boxing Association (IBA) gender eligibility rules.
However, the Russian-led body was stripped of its leadership by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) due to integrity and governance issues.
The test results and credibility of the IBA were also questioned.
Full IOC and Paris 2024 Boxing Unit statement
Read the full statement issued by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit…
Everyone has the right to play sport without discrimination.
All athletes participating in the Paris 2024 Olympic boxing tournament comply with competition eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations established by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit (PBU). As with previous Olympic boxing competitions, the athlete’s gender and age are based on his or her passport.
These rules also apply during the qualifying period, including the 2023 European Games, Asian Games, Pan American Games and Pacific Games boxing tournaments, the 2023 African qualifying ad hoc tournament in Dakar (SEN) and two world qualifying tournaments held in Busto Arsizio. (ITA) and Bangkok (THA) in 2024, involving a total of 1,471 different boxers from 172 National Olympic Committees (NOCs), Boxing Refugee Teams, and Individual Neutral Athletes, and featuring over 2,000 qualifying fights.
The PBU used the Tokyo 2020 boxing regulations as a basis for developing its regulations for Paris 2024. This is to minimize the impact on athletes’ preparation and ensure consistency between Games. These Tokyo 2020 rules are based on the post-Rio 2016 rules, which were in effect before the suspension of the International Boxing Federation by the IOC in 2019 and its derecognition in 2023.
We have seen in the news misleading information about two female athletes competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Both athletes have for many years competed in international boxing competitions in the women’s category, including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the International Boxing Association (IBA) World Championships and tournaments IBA approved.
These two athletes were victims of the IBA’s sudden and arbitrary decision. Towards the end of the IBA World Championship in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any process.
According to IBA minutes available on their website, this decision was initially taken solely by the IBA Secretary General and CEO. The IBA Board only ratified it afterwards and then requested that the procedures to be followed in similar cases in the future be established and reflected in the IBA Regulations. The minutes also state that the IBA should “establish clear procedures regarding gender testing”.
The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on arbitrary decisions taken without proper procedures – especially considering that these athletes have been competing in top-level competitions for many years.
This kind of approach is contrary to good governance.
Eligibility rules may not be changed during the competition, and any changes to the rules must follow an appropriate process and must be based on scientific evidence.
The IOC is committed to protecting the human rights of all athletes participating in the Olympic Games in accordance with the Olympic Charter, the IOC Code of Conduct and the IOC Human Rights Strategic Framework. The IOC is saddened by the abuse these two athletes are currently receiving.
The IBA’s recognition was revoked by the IOC in 2023 following its suspension in 2019. The withdrawal of recognition was confirmed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). See the IOC statement following the decision.
The IOC has made it clear that National Boxing Federations need to reach a consensus around a new International Federation for boxing to be included in the LA28 Olympic sports program.
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