The controversial boxer returned home. She admitted her fear at the Olympics Sports.sk

After the end of the Olympic Games in Paris, the Algerian boxer Imane Khelifová, who won the gold medal in the women’s weight category up to 66 kilograms, returned to her hometown of Tiaret on Friday.

She was greeted by a large crowd of supporters and the new Olympic champion celebrated the nation’s support for its athletes. She also believes that she will be proud of her country again in the future. “All Algerians have the right to be happy and celebrate. This proves that the government and the people are behind sports,” Khlifová said.

She was the center of attention of the whole world. She faced accusations from many sides that she should not box among women. Because of her masculine facial features, she was unwittingly drawn into the global conflict over gender identity and governance in sport. This happened after her first fight under five rings, when the Italian opponent Angela Carini pulled out of the competition in pain just a few seconds after a hard blow from the Algerian opponent.

Immediately, an avalanche of unwarranted criticism of Khelif, that she is transgender or even human, began on the Internet around the world. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) came to her defense and publicly condemned those who spread false information. Khelif said that spreading misconceptions about her harms human dignity. Despite being born and raised as a woman, Khelif has found herself in the crosshairs of debates about sex, gender and sport, particularly those fueled by the Boxing Association. International (IBA).

Donald Trump, Elon Musk and JK Rowling also shared Russian misinformation about the African athlete. It was at last year’s world championship under the IBA banner that the Algerian was kicked out of the competition, as she did not claim to have passed the eligibility test for women’s competition. The IBA, which is led by the Russian Kremlin Umar, who is very close to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, is not a partner of the IOC in organizing Olympic boxing competitions.

The Algerians strongly defended Khelifova at the Olympics and saw the situation as an attack on their country. In the meantime, the French prosecutor’s office began investigating Khelifová’s campaign, which turned to the local authorities at the 2024 Olympics in terms of “online” harassment after a barrage of unwarranted criticism and claims lie about her gender. She submitted the campaign to the special unit of the Paris prosecutor’s office for the fight against hate speech in the online space.

As is common in French law, the complaint does not name the accused, leaving it up to investigators to determine who may be guilty. After returning to her home country, Khelifova admitted the fear she felt at the Olympics. She said that no one has the right to question her gender and that she is not someone who likes a mix of politics and sports. “Why was there such an outcry all over the world? I was afraid, but thanks to God I was able to overcome it.” said the athlete.