Imane Khelif has spoken for the first time following the huge outcry that transpired following her participation at the Olympic Games.
Khelif was subject to a torrent of abuse on social media, with many incorrectly believing her to have transitioned from a man to compete in women’s boxing.
Her opening bout at Paris 2024 saw her defeat Italian boxer Angela Carini inside 45 seconds, with Carini claiming that she had never been punched as hard before as she had in the contest. Carini has since apologised for her comments and says she regrets how it has been handled.
Khelif has since progressed to the semi-final stage, meaning she is guaranteed at least a bronze medal, and she has now spoken for the first time to SNTV, a sports video partner of The Associated Press, about the backlash she received.
“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 massive effects.
“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.”
Khelif also spoke about the impact it has had on her family, who have found the situation tough to deal with.
“They are worried about me. God willing, this crisis will culminate in a gold medal, and that would be the best response.
“Honestly, I don’t follow social media. 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.”
Following her initial win over Carina, Khelif followed that up with a points victory against Anna Hamori, and the Algerian has discussed how tough that was competing following the backlash.
“I couldn’t control my nerves, because after the media frenzy and after the victory, there was a mix of joy and at the same time, I was greatly affected.
“Honestly, it wasn’t an easy thing to go through at all. It was something that harms human dignity.”
Khelif will compete next on Tuesday against Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng, where a victory would see her move into the gold medal match.
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