Controversial gender row boxer Imane Kahlif addresses critics at Paris Olympics

The boxer astatine nan halfway of a gender statement large wind has fixed a bombshell sit-down question and reply for nan first clip since pulverizing a female jock successful conscionable 46 seconds.

Imane Khelif issued a defiant informing to her critics while slamming bullying pursuing her arguable triumph astatine nan Paris Olympics.

The Algerian jock tore into nan scrutiny of her gender arsenic 'harmful to quality dignity' during nan question and reply in Arabic to SNTV.

She said: 'I nonstop a connection to each nan group of nan world to uphold nan Olympic principles and nan Olympic Charter, to refrain from bullying each athletes, because this has effects, monolithic effects.

'It tin destruct people, it tin termination people's thoughts, tone and mind. It tin disagreement people. And because of that, I inquire them to refrain from bullying.'

The victories of Khelif and chap boxer Lin Yu-ting, of Taiwan, person go 1 of nan biggest stories of nan Paris Games.

Both person clinched their first Olympic medals contempt being scrutinized complete their gender.

The 25-year-old Khelif acknowledged nan unit and symptom of enduring this ordeal while competing acold from location successful nan astir important arena of her diversion career.

'I americium successful interaction pinch my family 2 days a week. I dream that they weren't affected deeply,' she said. 'They are worried astir me. God willing, this situation will culminate successful a golden medal, and that would beryllium nan champion response.'

The vitriol stems from claims by nan International Boxing Association, which has been permanently banned from nan Olympics, that some Khelif and Lin grounded unspecified eligibility tests for nan women's title astatine past year's world championships.

Khelif declined to reply erstwhile asked whether she had undergone tests different than doping tests, saying she didn't want to talk astir it.

She expressed gratitude to nan International Olympic Committee and its president, Thomas Bach, for opinionated resolutely down her while nan banned erstwhile governing assemblage of Olympic boxing stoked a furor astir her information successful Paris.

'I cognize that nan Olympic Committee has done maine justice, and I americium happy pinch this remedy because it shows nan truth,' she said.

She besides has seen monolithic support astatine her bouts, drafting cheers erstwhile she enters nan arena and crowds waving Algerian flags chanting her first name. She will conflict again Tuesday successful nan women's 66-kilogram semifinals astatine Roland Garros.

Khelif many times made clear she won't let chatter aliases accusations to deter her from attempting to declare Algeria's first Olympic golden badge successful women's boxing.

'I don't attraction astir anyone's opinion,' Khelif said a time after beating Anna Luca Hamori of Hungary. 'I came present for a medal, and to compete for a medal. I will surely beryllium competing to amended (and) beryllium better, and God willing, I will improve, for illustration each different athlete.'

Although she is alert of nan worldwide chat astir her, Khelif said she has been somewhat removed.

'Honestly, I don't travel societal media,' she said. 'There is simply a intelligence wellness squad that doesn't fto america travel societal media, particularly successful nan Olympic Games, whether maine aliases different athletes. I'm present to compete and get a bully result.'

Khelif started her Olympic tally past Thursday pinch a triumph complete Angela Carini of Italy, who abandoned nan bout aft conscionable 46 seconds. Carini later said she regretted her determination and wished to apologize to Khelif.

That different ending raised nan chatter astir Khelif into a roar, drafting comments from nan likes of former US President Donald Trump, 'Harry Potter' writer JK Rowling and others falsely claiming Khelif was a man aliases transgender.

The IOC many times declared her and Lin qualified to participate successful nan Olympics, and it has decried nan murky testing standards and nan unclear governance of nan IBA, which was banished wholly from nan Olympics past twelvemonth successful an unprecedented reward for a governing body.

Khelif intelligibly felt nan weight of nan worldwide scrutiny upon her, and her triumph complete Hamori connected Saturday appeared to beryllium cathartic. After nan referee raised Khelif's manus pinch nan win, she went to nan halfway of nan ring, waved to her fans, knelt and slammed her thenar connected nan canvas, her grin turning to tears.

'I couldn't power my nerves,' Khelif said successful nan interview. 'Because aft nan media frenzy and aft nan victory, location was a operation of joyousness and astatine nan aforesaid time, I was greatly affected, because honestly, it wasn't an easy point to spell done astatine all. It was thing that harms quality dignity.'

She had competed successful IBA events for respective years without problems until she was abruptly suspended from past year's world championships. The Russian-dominated assemblage - which has faced years of clashes pinch nan IOC - has refused to supply immoderate accusation astir nan tests.

Algeria's nationalist boxing federation is still an IBA member.

Khelif is from agrarian northwestern Algeria, and she grew up playing shot until she fell successful emotion pinch boxing. Overcoming her father's first objections, she traveled 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) by autobus to train for fights successful a neighboring town.

After reaching nan sport's apical level successful her precocious teens, she struggled early successful her profession earlier reaching an elite level. Khelif has been a solid, if unspectacular, world competitor for six years, and she mislaid to eventual golden medalist Kellie Harrington of Ireland astatine nan Tokyo Olympics.

Khelif's adjacent bout successful Paris is against Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand. If Khelif wins again, she will conflict for a golden badge Friday.

'Yes, this rumor involves nan dignity and grant of each female and female,' she told an Algerian broadcaster successful little remarks Sunday aft beating Hamori. 

'The Arab organization has known maine for years and has seen maine container successful nan IBA that wronged maine (and) treated maine unfairly, but I person God connected my side.'