Defying all odds that questioned her womanhood at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif scripted history by triumphing over Yang Liu of the People's Republic of China to secure the gold medal in women's boxing. Amid the brutal scrutiny on a global platform of being called a ‘biological male’, Imane kept her head held high as a proud woman. But did you know, Bollywood actor Taapsee Pannu’s 2021 film ‘ ’ had a similar plotline? Allow us to explain.
ADVERTISEMENT The issue emerged after Italian boxer Angela Carini abruptly quit her match against Imane Khelif, resulting in the latter winning the bout within just 46 seconds. This rare occurrence followed Carini's withdrawal, who cited discomfort during the match. The controversy around Khelif is compounded by her previous disqualification from the International Boxing Association (IBA) Women's Championships last year due to elevated testosterone levels.
However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) cleared her to compete in the Paris Olympics despite the IBA's ban on Olympic boxing due to governance issues. Indian athlete Dutee Chand, who faced a similar issue in 2014 regarding her eligibility due to hyperandrogenism, expressed her support for Khelif, in an interview with ANI. Chand criticized the questioning of Khelif's eligibility, emphasizing that others should not raise concerns if the IOC had no objections.
"A lot of issues occur when such a situation comes up. I faced it in 2014. Before I was se.