Despite a gender-eligibility controversy, Imane Khelif, who secured a gold medal in boxing at the Paris Olympics, is committed to defending her title at the 2028 Los Angeles Games and asserts that she will not be intimidated by US President Donald Trump.
Last month, Trump issued an executive order banning transgender women from competing in female sports in the US, and during his speech after signing the order, he referred to Khelif as “a male boxer”.
With this, Khelif said: “I will give you a straightforward answer, I am not transgender… This does not concern me, and it does not intimidate me.”
She added: “Second gold medal, of course. In America, Los Angeles … I (will) defend with everything this gold medal… I believe that if the old Imane operated at 50 per cent of her potential, then the Imane Khalif of today is even more motivated and determined.”
Boxing’s inclusion in the 2028 Games
Recently, the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC’s) executive board recommended that boxing be included in the 2028 Games and Khelif said that she dreams of defending her title in California. The recommendation still needs final approval from the IOC during its session in Greece, and outgoing President Thomas Bach expressed confidence that it would be approved.
The International Boxing Association disqualified Khelif at the 2023 World Championships after a test, which the organisation claimed made her ineligible to compete as a woman due to gender-related reasons.
The International Boxing Association (IBA) lost its Olympic recognition over governance problems, yet the International Olympic Committee gave Khelif the green light to compete in Paris. Moreover, World Boxing, a rival organisation to the IBA, was granted provisional recognition as the international governing body of the sport.
“At this point, I can say that the IBA is a thing of the past… As we say in Algeria, those who have nothing to hide should have no fear,” Khelif said.
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