Boxing

Imane Khelif Shares Olympic Day Message Amid World Boxing Gender Controversy

Polarizing Paris Olympics gold medalist Imane Khelif caught attention with a strong message she made on social media.
Grant Young|
Andrew P. Scott-Imagn Images

Earlier this month, World Boxing announced that they would be mandating athletes who are 18 and older to undergo genetic testing if they want to compete in women’s boxing events.

This mandate is the byproduct of backlash regarding Algerian boxer Imane Khelif's inclusion in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Khelif won an Olympic gold medal in Paris, despite being the focal point of intense scrutiny regarding her eligibility because of how she has abnormally high testosterone levels. This made many people question whether it was fair for her to compete against women, which eventually became one of the biggest stories in the sports world last year.

Khelif was specifically mentioned within World Boxing's policy when it was announced, which prompted backlash from those who felt this direct reference wasn't warranted. This made World Boxing's president, Boris van der Vorst, issue an apology on June 3 by saying, "I am writing to you all personally to offer a formal and sincere apology for this and acknowledge that [Khelif's] privacy should have been protected."

While Khelif remains at the center of much discussion among the boxing and Olympic communities, she doesn't seem to be letting this affect her feelings about winning a gold medal.

This was shown by a June 23 post she made to her Instagram story for International Olympic Day, which, according to Business Standard, "[Marks] the birth of the modern Olympic Games... The occasion aims to raise awareness about the significance of sports and inspire people, regardless of age, gender, background, or community, to incorporate physical activity into their daily lives."

Khelif's post showed her kissing her gold medal in Paris, and was captioned #happyOlympicday ❤️".

Imane Khelif's June 23 Instagram story.
Imane Khelif's June 23 Instagram story. | Instagram/@imane_khelif_1

Time will tell how these new mandates impact Khelif's future in Olympic boxing. But the bottom line is she's still a gold medalist, which will never be taken away from her.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young is a Staff Writer for On SI’s Boxing, New York Mets, Indiana Fever, and Women’s Fastbreak sites. Before joining SI in 2024, he wrote for various boxing and sports verticals such as FanBuzz and NY Fights. Young has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in creative writing with an emphasis on sports nonfiction from the University of San Francisco, where he played five seasons of Division 1 baseball. He fought Muay Thai professionally in Thailand in 2023, loves a good essay, and is driven crazy trying to handle a pitpull puppy named Aura. Young lives in San Diego and was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.