Imane Khelif, the Algerian boxer targeted with rampant transphobia during the Paris Olympics, has been the victim of “a serious violation” according to a statement issued by her national Olympic Committee.
The development comes after Khelif received an apology of sorts from Angela Carini, who abandoned their last-16 encounter in the women’s welterweight category on Thursday, intensifying a media storm over Khelif’s perceived eligibility.
Amid rising tensions, the Algerian Olympic Committee said it had submitted an official complaint to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over “a serious violation and transgression of the ethics of sport… by one of the participants in the boxing tournament.”
It is believed that the Algerians’ statement refers to social media posts made on Friday by Khelif’s next opponent, Anna Luca Hamori of Hungary.
It continues: “The IOC has issued a final warning to violators, with an order to delete every post that harms our heroine, Imane Khelif. We reserve the right to prosecute everyone who participated in the heinous campaign against [her].”
At the Arena Paris Nord on Thursday, just 46 seconds of Khelif’s fight with Carini had elapsed when the Italian abandoned the contest. She did not shake Khelif’s hand afterwards, instead complaining of “severe pain” and claiming she felt she had to “preserve” her life.
That fuelled online speculation over Khelif’s biological make-up, leading to the IOC later issuing a statement decrying “misleading information” about not just Khelif but also Lin Yu-Ting of Taiwan.
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Lin was in action in the featherweight division Friday, comfortably beating Sitora Turdibekova to reach the last eight.
A day after her exit from the competition, Carini told Gazzetta dello Sport: “All this controversy makes me sad.”
On Khelif, she added: “I’m sorry for my opponent, too. If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision.”
It was quite the U-turn from the Italian, who 24 hours previously had referred to Khelif as a “person” not a woman.
Carini insisted that snubbing the traditional post-fight handshake “wasn’t something I intended to do… actually, I want to apologise to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke.”
Khelif and Lin both fought at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago without issues but were barred from female competition in 2023 by the International Boxing Assn., a federation whose headquarters is in Russia.
The decision to exclude them was made during the IBA World Boxing Championships in New Delhi, without transparency. Khelif beat a Russian opponent en route to the final, while Lin lost in the semis in their respective weight divisions.
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Meanwhile, Khelif’s next opponent put out a provocative post on her Facebook page ahead of Saturday’s quarterfinal.
“For my next match… they can’t scare me!” wrote Hamori. “If boy or girl I wanna beat him.
“In my humble opinion, I also don’t think it’s fair that this contestant can compete among women, but I can’t deal with it now, I can’t change it, this is what life has brought, this has to be resolved.
“I know why I came here, I know my goals. I can promise you one thing… I will do all I can to win and I will fight as long as possible! Don’t worry, I’ll take care of myself, keep cheering for me, because now the goal is the Olympic medal!”
Hamori is also understood to have made several inflammatory posts on her Instagram story before later deleting them. The Algerian Olympic Committee’s statement, issued via its official Facebook page on Friday night, referred to “an infringement of the Olympic Charter”.
Also on Friday, Hungary’s state news agency claimed it had been told by an official from the Hungarian Boxing Association that it was sending letters of protest about Hamori’s match-up with Khelif.
Lajos Berkó, a executive board member, said to the MTI agency that his association would “express indignation and request that the IOC reconsider its decision” to allow Khelif to continue, but that Hamori — who is the first woman from her country to qualify for an Olympic boxing tournament — would accept the fight.
