Why is Algerian Boxer Imane Khelif Trending?

The Algerian boxer Imane Khelif had the internet in a frenzy when she gained a victory against Italy's Angela Carini in a mere 46 seconds on Thursday, Aug. 1 at the Paris Olympics 2024.

Khelif knocked out her opponent with two hits, causing damage to her opponent's nose. After the match, Carini fell to her knees and sobbed. She said, "It hurt so much [Khelif's punches]. I have never felt a punch like this. After the second blow, and after years of experience in the ring and a lifetime of fighting, I felt extreme pain in my nose."

The Algerian boxer and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting were disqualified from the 2023 IBA World Championships but were reinstated by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) who deemed both women eligible to box in Paris.

The IBA said that they underwent a test that "indicated that both athletes did not meet the required necessary eligibility criteria and were found to have competitive advantages over other female competitors."

Ahead of the match on Thursday, Algeria's Olympic Committee (COA) stated, "[They] denounce in the strongest terms the malicious and unethical attacks directed against our distinguished athlete, Imane Khelif, by certain foreign media."

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said, "I do not agree with the IOC ... I think that athletes who have male genetic characteristics should not be admitted to women's competitions."

An IOC spokesperson said earlier in the week, "Everyone competing in the women's category ... is complying with competition eligibility rules. They are women in their passports and it's stated in there that they are female."

Khelif is set to fight Hungary's Luca Anna Hamori on Saturday, Aug. 3 in the quarter-finals. 

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Image source: @imane_khelif_10 Instagram page