Algerian Boxer Imane Khelif Wins Semi-Final Match at Paris Olympics Amid Gender Row

Janjaem Suwannapheng (L) of Team Thailand stands with match referee Shawn Reese and Imane Khelif (R) of Team Algeria as Khelif is declared winner of the Women's 66kg Semifinal round match on day eleven of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Roland Garros in Paris, France on Aug. 6, 2024. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Imane Khelif, the boxer who has sparked a global debate over gender eligibility at the Paris Olympics, will be fighting for a gold medal in the women’s boxing competition after beating Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng during the welterweight semifinal tournament on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old Algerian athlete defeated Janjaem via unanimous decision at Roland-Garros Stadium, guaranteeing her a silver medal.

The judges unanimously scored each round 10-9 in favor of Khelif.

It marks the third victory for Khelif in as many fights at the Paris Olympics.

“I don’t want anything to be said about the controversy,” Khelif said after the win. “I just had the performance I was looking to deliver today to make the fans happy.”

Khelif will next face China’s Yang Liu in the 66-kilogram final on Friday night.

A win in the final would mark Algeria’s first-ever gold medal in Olympic boxing.

Khelif, who secured a silver medal at the 2022 Women’s World Championships, is one of two boxers competing in the Paris Olympics to face calls to withdraw amid questions regarding their gender and fairness.

Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting has also come under scrutiny after Umar Kremlev, president of the International Boxing Association (IBA), said both Khelif and Yu-ting were disqualified from the 2023 IBA women’s world championships in New Delhi after testing in both 2022 and 2023 found they had “very high” testosterone levels.

According to a July 31 statement from the IBA, the two athletes were disqualified because they failed to meet the eligibility criteria for participating in the women’s competition, as set and laid out in the IBA Regulations, and were found to have “competitive advantages over other female competitors.”

The decision to disqualify them followed a “meticulous review” and was “extremely important and necessary to uphold the level of fairness and utmost integrity of the competition,” the IBA said.

The two athletes “did not undergo a testosterone examination but were subject to a separate and recognized test, whereby the specifics remain confidential,” according to the IBA, which appeared to contradict the comments made by its president.

(Left) Lin Yu-ting of Team Chinese Taipei looks on prior to the women's 57kg preliminary round match at North Paris Arena in France on Aug. 2, 2024. (Right) Imane Khelif of Team Algeria heads to the ring at North Paris Arena in Paris, France, on Aug. 1, 2024. (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Lorenz Duchamps

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) stripped the IBA of its status as the sport’s governing body in 2023.

Khelif defeated Janjaem in the semi-finals during the 2023 IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships before being disqualified.

However, controversy regarding Khelif’s eligibility to compete against other women erupted earlier this month during her match with Italian boxer Angela Carini.

That match was stopped 46 seconds into their round of 16 bout when Carini pulled out, citing concerns over her safety after being hit with a string of punches. She told reporters after that her nose had started bleeding.

Carini didn’t shake Khelif’s hand after the match concluded, although she later apologized for her decision.

The IOC, which is holding the Paris 2024 boxing tournament, is using boxing eligibility rules that were applied at the 2016 and 2021 Olympics, and which do not include gender testing. The IOC has repeatedly defended Khelif and Yu-ting’s participation in the competition.

In a statement on Saturday, IOC President Thomas Bach said: “We have two boxers who are born as a woman, who have been raised as a woman, who have a passport as a woman, and who have competed for many years as women.”

“This is the clear definition of a woman,” he said.

Yu-ting is set to fight Turkey’s Esra Yildiz Kahraman in the women’s 57 kg semifinals on Wednesday after defeating Svetlana Staneva of Team Bulgaria on Sunday.

Lorenz Duchamps and Reuters contributed to this report.