Imane Khelif, an Algerian boxer whose biological sex has been questioned, defeated Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng in the Olympic women’s welterweight semifinals, a victory that keeps alive the fighter’s gold-medal hopes — and adds more fuel to the ongoing uproar over fairness in female sports. Khelif, 25, won a unanimous decision Tuesday against the 23-year-old Suwannapheng in the 145 lb. (66 kg.
) division, advancing to the Friday championship match with a guarantee of Olympic silver at minimum. The win drew further attention to the international debate over the fighter’s gender status and the International Olympic Committee’s eligibility standards for women’s boxing, a story that has dominated the 2024 Paris Olympics. Khelif is one of two athletes competing in Paris despite being disqualified at the 2023 Women’s World Championships in New Delhi, where blood tests showed they failed to meet the gender criteria, according to the International Boxing Association.
The International Olympic Committee has defended the boxers’ participation, saying they complied with the eligibility rules and that “they are women on their passport.” “Let’s be very clear here,” said IOC President Thomas Bach last weekend. “We are talking about women’s boxing.
We have two boxers who were born as women, have been raised as women, who have a passport as a woman, and who have competed for many years as a woman. And this is the clear definition of a woman.” The second b.