Princess Rima Bint Bandar Supports Iman Khalif: Historic Gold Medal Win in Women’s Boxing Amid Controversy

Princess Rima bint Bandar bin Sultan, a member of the International Olympic Committee, sent a message of support to the Algerian Olympic champion. Iman KhalifAfter winning gold in the B boxing tournamentParis 2024 Olympic Games.

Khalifa defeated China’s Liu Yang in the 66 kg final, winning the first gold medal in women’s boxing competitions in Arab history.

Khalif faced a campaign against her career, due to the confusion surrounding her sexual identity.

Princess Reema said at the closing session of the International Olympic Committee: “I was honored to join the International Olympic Committee and the Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and with that I am an Arab Muslim woman, which are the characteristics that comprise my life. identity, I cannot be silent about what is circulated in the media regarding Iman.

She said, “First of all, I would like to confirm my full support for the joint statement issued by the International Olympic Committee and the Boxing Unit for the Paris 2024 Olympics, published on August 1, 2024. The facts here are clear. . Iman Khalif was born a girl, and she remained all her life a woman…”

She emphasized that “From her childhood as the daughter of a loving family in Algeria, Iman Khalif has worked hard throughout her life to become an Olympic athlete, competing in front of the world. As is known, the path she took requires a lot of determination, dedication and perseverance, and as is the nature of the Olympics, Iman represented… “The best qualities and abilities, and that where the beauty of the Olympic Games is.”

She explained, “No one has the right to doubt Iman’s femininity, and continuing to spread false information is an attempt to steal her dignity and rights from her, therefore, I stand today before this prestigious committee saying: This issue cannot continue, as female Olympic athletes represent the elite “They train to be the best, and for us to talk about this is a failure for all of us, but this debate has become more important than ever.”

She continued, “When Iman won the quarter-final fight, she fell to her knees crying. Every woman who felt lonely, ridiculed, or was told that she did not belong to the women’s group knelt with her. She fell with her, and when she got up to stand again, they all got up with her.”