Imane Khelif is an Algerian professional boxer who became prominent after winning the gold medal in the women’s 66kg boxing event at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. Recent reports claimed Imane is a male.
Khelif’s victory over Italy’s Angela Carini surfaced controversies regarding gender and competing eligibility.
After over three months of the Olympics controversies, Imane’s gender accusation once again surfaces after a leaked medical report published in France identified the boxer as a man with internal “testicles” and” XY chromosomes.
Highlights
- Imane Khelif is an Algerian professional boxer who won the gold medal in the Women’s 66kg Boxing event in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
- Khelif’s father, Omar Khelif, is a shepherd and welder in Tiaret, while his mother, Nasria, is a housewife.
- Imane Khelif is of Algerian heritage and a devotee of the Islamic religion. He is the eldest of six siblings.
year-old, Khelif began his boxing career in 2018 with the AIBA Women’s World‘s Boxing Championships.
He finished 17th in the Women’s lightweight event. Similarly, in 2019, he finished 33rd.
In March 2021, Imane won the first gold medal at the Istanbul Bosphorus International Boxing Tournament. Before that, he represented Algeria in the Women’s lightweight event at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
In 2022 and 2023, Imane Khelif competed in the IBA Championships and won several titles, including gold medals in the Arab Games.
Imane’s gender controversies sparked debate over the mainstream media and the internet about whether to return the Olympic gold medal. At the same time, the Boxer has filed a complaint against those who forced claim Khelif as a male.
Imane Khelif’s Father, Omar Khelif, Works As A Blacksmith, And His Mother Is A Housewife
Imane Khelif was born on May 2, 1999, in Ain Sidi Ali, Laghouat Province. When his family moved to Biban Mesbah, Tiaret Province, Imane was two months old.
Imane Khelif’s father, Omar Khelif, is a shepherd and blacksmith. He lives in a cinderblock home on the outskirts of Tiaret, Algeria.
Omar spends his livelihood working as a welder. However, he often struggled to find work.
Similarly, his mother, Nasria Khelif, is a housemaker who comforts her seven children at home and manages the money Omar earns.
Imane Khelif’s parents belong to a working-class family; they are not well-established. However, their hard work and support resulted in an Olympic athlete in the Khelif family.
Imane Khelif’s parents are of Algerian heritage and are devout Muslims.
It is reported because of religious values, Imane Khelif’s parents had to keep the fact that Imane is transgender in silence, as homosexuality is considered a crime.
Imane Khelif’s Father, Omar, Broke His Silence On His Gender Controversies, Sharing Proof Of Imane Being A Girl
The 2024 Paris Olympics ended in August. However, people are still in talks about Imane Khelif’s gender issues and his being a male or a female.
Similarly, one of the leaked reports published in France showed that Imane has an XY chromosome and internal testicles, identifying Imane as a man.
Similarly, many news portals confirm that Imane Khelif is biologically male, although Khelif’s family denies the report’s details.
However, ‘Imane Khelif’s father, Omar, stood up for his child against the odds.
Le père d’Imane Khelif dans une interview "Ça fait des années qu’elle s’entraine sans relâche pour les olympiques, son rêve ultime était d'y décrocher la médaille, surtout après s'être classée 5ème aux JO de Tokyo. Et rien ne lui tient plus à cœur que son peuple et son pays…" pic.twitter.com/qWhN1vP2i0
— Minerva 🍉 (@DZignrOuttaCtrl) August 2, 2024
Omar broke his defense of his child, Imane, amid the controversies. He said,
My daughter is a woman, we have all the evidence, including her birth certificate. My daughter was just stronger than the Italian boxer. She works very hard.
Omar Khelif
Similarly, he showed the family and childhood photos of Imane dressing up as a girl. He further added hormones caused the chromosome issues.
On the other hand, Imane Khelif’s mother, Nasria, also spoke out to the media about her kid, Imane. She said,
My child is a girl. She was raised as a girl. Imane is a girl who has loved sports since she was six years old.
Nasria Khelif
In an Interview post-Olympics, Imane talked about how the online hate campaign affected him and his family.
The Boxer added during that period, his mother Nasria was in the hospital almost every day, and the family had to endure pain even after their Imane won a gold medal in the Olympics.
Additional Information
- As of [current[year]], Imane Khelif’s estimated net worth is around $1 million, which includes prize money from his wins, brand endorsements, and sports contracts.
- In January 2024, Khelif became a UNICEF National Ambassador for Algeria.
- Because of his poor financial status, Imane had to sell scrap metal and his mother’s clothing in his initial career to raise money to access the nearest gym.
