Algerian boxer Imane Khelif took a bold step in addressing global scrutiny over misconceptions about her gender in a recent cyberbullying lawsuit that name-drops Elon Musk and JK Rowling. However, as her name continues to be at the centre of an unfounded controversy in the aftermath of her golden victory in France last weekend, Khelif has now taken a swipe at former US President Donald Trump, who threw dirt on her name at a rally in Montana.
In an interview in Algeria with El Birad, the 25-year-old Olympian addressed the noise head-on, stating how hurtful comments from politicians like Trump negatively impacted her.
Imane Khelif responds to Trump misidentifying her as a man
“Immediately after there was a lot of noise from politicians, athletes, stars, artists – Elon Musk and Donald Trump and that hurt me a lot, I cannot describe how scared,” Khelif said.
“This affected me. I’m not lying to you, it affected me a lot. It hurt a lot. I can’t describe the fear I had but thank God I was able to overcome it. Thank god, all the people of Algeria and the Arab world knew Imane Khelif with her femininity, her courage, her will.”
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Khelif was born and raised a woman. She and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan were subjected to a disappointing hate train as it was revealed that the boxers were disqualified during the 2023 World Championships following gender eligibility tests conducted by the now-banned International Boxing Association. Both their cases pertain to an overlooked rare condition of differences in sexual development (DSD), which can also result in the development of XY chromosomes in people who typically identify as women.
The Algerian player also slammed politicians for mixing politics with sports, which ultimately brought “shame” to her family and community. “It was a very scary scenario. Honestly, I don’t like to get into politics in sports, but they got politics into sport.
“Sports and politics are two separate things. These politicians who are oppressing me, they don’t have the right to say I am transgender.
“This is a big shame for my family, for the honour of my family, for the honour of Algeria, for the women of Algeria and especially the Arab world. The whole world knows I am a Muslim girl.”
What did Trump say about Imane Khelif?
Khelif’s remarks come right after Trump addressed the crowd in Bozeman, Montana, on August 9 and again misidentified the gold-winning Olympic player as a man. “Who wants men to participate in women’s sports? I would like to congratulate the young woman who transitioned from a man into a boxer. He… She won the gold medal.”
He further alluded to Italy’s Angela Carini, who went up against Khelif at the Olympics but abandoned the match 46 seconds into the fight after being hit on the nose. “How about the young Italian, the beautiful Italian boxer? She got in there and had no idea what was going on. She’s a very good boxer – against other women.” Trump added.
Enacting the moment between Khelif and Carini, Trump continued to refer to the former as a “he” throughout his speech, insisting the Italian boxer was forced to face a man in the boxing ring.
After winning gold, Khelif highlighted that it had been her dream to be an Olympic champion for eight years. “That also gives my success a special taste because of those attacks. We are in the Olympics to perform as athletes, and I hope that we will not see any similar attacks in future Olympics,” she said.
She also emphasised, “I’m fully qualified to take part in this competition. I’m a woman like any other woman. I was born as a woman, I live as a woman, and I am qualified.”
