Olympic Boxer Imane Khelif Breaks Silence on ‘Bullying’ Over Gender Misconceptions

“It can destroy people, it can kill people’s thoughts, spirit and mind,” said the Algerian athlete, speaking out about her tumultuous Paris experience amid widespread misconceptions and backlash.

PARIS — Olympic boxer Imane Khelif said the wave of hateful scrutiny she has faced over misconceptions about her gender “harms human dignity,” and she called for an end to bullying athletes after being greatly affected by the international backlash against her.

The Algerian athlete spoke about her tumultuous Olympic experience on Sunday night in an interview with SNTV, a sports video partner of The Associated Press.

“I send a message to all the people of the world to uphold the Olympic principles and the Olympic Charter, to refrain from bullying all athletes, because this has effects, massive effects,” Khelif said in Arabic. “It can destroy people, it can kill people’s thoughts, spirit and mind. It can divide people. And because of that, I ask them to refrain from bullying.”

Read More: What to Know About the Gender Fight in Olympic Boxing

The victories of Khelif and fellow boxer Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan in the ring in Paris have become one of the biggest stories of the Paris Games. Both women have clinched their first Olympic medals even as they have faced online abuse based on unsubstantiated claims about their gender, drawing them into a wider divide over changing attitudes toward gender identity and regulations in sports.

The 25-year-old Khelif acknowledged the pressure and pain of enduring this ordeal while competing far from home in the most important event of her athletic career.

“I am in contact with my family two days a week. I hope that they weren’t affected deeply,” she said. “They are worried about me. God willing, this crisis will culminate in a gold medal, and that would be the best response.”

The vitriol stems from claims by the International Boxing Association, which has been permanently banned from the Olympics, that both Khelif and Lin failed unspecified eligibility tests for the women’s competition at last year’s world championships.

Khelif declined to answer when asked whether she had undergone tests other than doping tests, saying she didn’t want to talk about it.

She expressed gratitude to the International Olympic Committee and its president, Thomas Bach, for standing resolutely behind her while the banned former governing body of Olympic boxing stoked a furor around her participation in Paris.

“I know that the Olympic Committee has done me justice, and I am happy with this remedy because it shows the truth,” she said.

Read More: Olympic Boxers Don’t Want to Talk About the Gender Controversy

She also has seen massive support at her bouts, drawing cheers when she enters the arena and crowds waving Algerian flags chanting her first name. She will fight again Tuesday in the women’s 66-kilogram semifinals at Roland Garros.

Khelif repeatedly made clear she won’t allow chatter or accusations to deter her from attempting to claim Algeria’s first Olympic gold medal in women’s boxing.

“I don’t care about anyone’s opinion,” Khelif said a day after beating Anna Luca Hamori of Hungary. “I came here for a medal, and to compete for a medal. I will certainly be competing to improve (and) be better, and God willing, I will improve, like every other athlete.”

Although she is aware of the worldwide discussion about her, Khelif said she has been somewhat removed.

“Honestly, I don’t follow social media,” she said. “There is a mental health team that doesn’t let us follow social media, especially in the Olympic Games, whether me or other athletes. I’m here to compete and get a good result.”

Khelif started her Olympic run last Thursday with a victory over Angela Carini of Italy, who abandoned the bout after just 46 seconds. Carini later said she regretted her decision and wished to apologize to Khelif.

That unusual ending raised the chatter around Khelif into a roar, drawing comments from the likes of former U.S. President Donald Trump, “Harry Potter” writer J.K. Rowling and others falsely claiming Khelif was a man or transgender.

Read More: Taiwan Turns Against J.K. Rowling for Stirring Olympic Boxing Gender Controversy

The IOC repeatedly declared her and Lin qualified to participate in the Olympics, and it has decried the murky testing standards and untransparent governance of the IBA, which was banished entirely from the Olympics last year in an unprecedented punishment for a governing body.

Khelif clearly felt the weight of the worldwide scrutiny upon her, and her victory over Hamori on Saturday appeared to be cathartic. After the referee raised Khelif’s hand with the win, she went to the center of the ring, waved to her fans, knelt and slammed her palm on the canvas, her smile turning to tears.

“I couldn’t control my nerves,” Khelif said in the interview. “Because after the media frenzy and after the victory, there was a mix of joy and at the same time, I was greatly affected, because honestly, it wasn’t an easy thing to go through at all. It was something that harms human dignity.”

She had competed in IBA events for several years without problems until she was abruptly suspended from last year’s world championships. The Russian-dominated body—which has faced years of clashes with the IOC—has refused to provide any information about the tests.

Algeria’s national boxing federation is still an IBA member.

Khelif is from rural northwestern Algeria, and she grew up playing soccer until she fell in love with boxing. Overcoming her father’s initial objections, she traveled 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) by bus to train for fights in a neighboring town.

After reaching the sport’s top level in her late teens, she struggled early in her career before reaching an elite level. Khelif has been a solid, if unspectacular, international competitor for six years, and she lost to eventual gold medalist Kellie Harrington of Ireland at the Tokyo Olympics.

Khelif’s next bout in Paris is against Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand. If Khelif wins again, she will fight for a gold medal Friday.

“Yes, this issue involves the dignity and honor of every woman and female,” she told an Algerian broadcaster in brief remarks Sunday after beating Hamori. “The Arab population has known me for years and has seen me box in the IBA that wronged me (and) treated me unfairly, but I have God on my side.”

—Habbari is an SNTV videojournalist. SNTV videojournalist Tarek Boussaha and AP videojournalist Lujain Jo contributed from Paris.