Who is Imane Khalif: Every day in Paris Olympics there are various sports competitions. A large number of sports lovers are also attending the stadium for these matches. On one hand, sportsmen around the world are celebrating their victories with great enthusiasm, on the other hand, for Algerian boxer Emmen Khalif, her first victory has also been controversial. In her first match, rival boxer Angela Carini from Italy announced her retirement after just 46 seconds, and there was a sensation. Is Imam Khalifa a woman or a man? This is currently seeing a big discussion among sports lovers around the world including the Paris Olympic Village. But who exactly is Imam Khalifa? What is her background?
Where did the controversy start?
Algeria’s Emmen Khalif had his first boxing match against Italy’s Angela Carini at the Paris Olympics. Sports lovers from both the sides had attended in large numbers to encourage their respective players. But the match ended just 46 seconds after it started. Because Angela Carini had withdrawn from the match. This led to a big discussion. Angela herself, speaking to the media after the match, commented, “I have never taken such a painful punch till today, I decided to stop the match because the pain was unbearable”.
Although the match ended like this, Imen Khalifa was victorious, but her victory was widely criticized. Harry Potter book series author J. K. Rowling described the match as ‘a man beating a woman in broad daylight’. From Elon Musk to J. K. Rowling, many celebrities have supported Angela Carini and Imene Khalifa has been embroiled in controversy.
Who is Imane Khalif?
25-year-old Imen is originally from Tierret region of Algeria. She is also currently the brand ambassador of UNICEF. Khalif’s father did not approve of girls playing boxing. But Khalif stood her ground. She wanted to set a different role model for the new generation of girls.
Khalif began his career at the 2018 Boxing World Championships. She could not shine in her debut competition. She finished 17th. She fell further in the 2019 World Championships. She moved to 19th place. After this, Emmen Khalif was seen by sports fans directly at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. There, Ireland’s Kelly Harrington defeated Iman in the quarter-finals. In the subsequent World Boxing Championship, however, Emmen Khalif made a big splash. Although Imen lost to Amy Broadhurst in the competition, she jumped straight into second place.
Imane Khalif Controversy: Man or Woman? Huge Controversy Over Emmen Khalifa at Paris Olympics; The rival female player left the match!
In the African Championship held in 2022, Emmen Khalif won the gold medal and became the talk of the boxing world. After that, in the Mediterranean Games and Arab Games held in the year 2023, Imman Khalif proved his skill by winning the gold medal.
The debate in 2023 and the defense of Imen!
Imen’s first blow came at the 2023 World Boxing Championship. But this blow did not come from the rival player, but from the tournament management. A few hours before the final match, Imen was disqualified by the organizers of the tournament held in New Delhi. President of IBA i.e. International Boxing Association Umar Kremlev explained the position in this regard.
“We have taken this decision based on the DNA test of Imman Khalif. According to the results of this test, Khalif’s DNA was found to have an XY chromosome. “Players whose DNA was found to have these chromosomes have been kicked out of the competition,” Kremlev informed. Along with Emmen Khalif, Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting was also kicked out of the competition for the same reason. XY chromosomes are found in male DNA while XX chromosomes are found in female DNA.
Imam Khalifa protested
Meanwhile, after Khaleef was kicked out of the competition, she alleged that there was a conspiracy behind it in 2023. “There are some countries that want Algeria not to win the gold medal. This is a big conspiracy and we will not keep silent about it”, said Imen. The Algerian Olympic Committee then reacted cautiously saying that Imen had to pull out of the competition due to ‘medical’ reasons.
IOC supported Imen Khalif!
Meanwhile, after the controversy arose over the eligibility of Imen Khalif, now the IOC i.e. the International Olympic Committee has taken a stand in support of Imen. “Khalif’s passport mentions her as ‘female’. Ever since that mention appeared on her passport, she has been playing in the women’s 66 kg category,” said IOC spokesperson Mark Adam. “All the players playing in the women’s group fulfill the eligibility criteria of the tournament. The passports of these players are mentioned as women. That means they are all women”, said Mark Adam.
