Algerian Boxer Imane Khelif Wins Olympic Gold Amid Gender Dispute

Algerian Boxer Imane Khelif Wins Olympic Gold Amid Gender Dispute
Algeria's Imane Khelif reacts after beating China's Yang Liu (Blue) in the women's 66kg final boxing match during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Roland-Garros Stadium, in Paris on Aug. 9, 2024. (Mauro Pimentel/AFP via Getty Images)

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has won a gold medal Friday at the Paris Olympics.

Khelif beat Yang Liu of China 5–0 in the final of the women’s welterweight division. Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand and Taiwan’s Chen Nien-chin were awarded bronze.

Khelif, a silver medallist at the 2022 world championships, and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting have been in the spotlight at the Paris Games amid a gender dispute that has dominated headlines.

The two boxers were disqualified by the International Boxing Association (IBA) from the 2023 World Championships, which said a sex chromosome test had ruled both of them ineligible.

They competed in Paris after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stripped the IBA of its status as the sport’s governing body in 2023 and took control of organising the boxing itself.

The IOC used boxing eligibility rules that were applied at the 2016 and 2021 Olympics and do not include gender testing.

Reuters contributed to this report.