The Algerian boxer, embroiled in a major gender controversy, guaranteed herself at least a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics on Saturday, breaking down in tears after winning her quarter-final.

"It's a fight, it's for my dignity," said Khelif, one of two boxers at the centre of the storm, after beating Hungary's Anna Luca Hamori on points to reach the women's 66kg semi-finals. The duo embraced and shook hands at the end before the judges' decision was announced and an emotional Khelif left the ring in tears.

The 25-year-old secured at least a bronze medal for her country (in boxing, semi-final losers do not fight for bronze but go straight to the medals, as in taekwondo, judo and Greco-Roman wrestling). She will meet Thailand's Janjaem Suwannapheng in the semi-finals.

Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting, the other boxer to be closely watched, can also secure at least a bronze medal on Sunday when she meets Bulgaria's Svetlana Staneva in the quarter-finals of the women's -57kg.

Both Khelif and Lin, 28, were disqualified from last year's world championships, organised by the International Boxing Association (IBA), after failing gender tests.

The IBA, which is holding a press conference in central Paris on Monday lunchtime to clarify the situation, said this week that the two boxers "did not undergo a testosterone test but were subjected to a separate and recognised test, the details of which remain confidential". Neither boxer is known to identify as transgender, which in Algeria can carry a prison sentence of up to three years.

Speaking to AFP from her Algerian village before Saturday's fight, Khelif's father Omar said, "My daughter is a girl. She was brought up as a girl. She is a strong girl; I raised her to work and be brave."

The controversy erupted on Thursday after Khelif took 46 seconds to dismantle Italian Angela Carini in her opening bout in Paris, leaving her injured and in tears. It prompted reactions from celebrities around the world, including Elon Musk, and strong criticism of the IOC from the IBA, as well as support for the two women.

Hamori, who had said before the fight that it was unfair to face Khelif, was booed out of the North Paris Arena, but after losing by unanimous decision she wished both Khelif and the other semi-finalists good luck.

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune posted a message on his X account in support of Khelif after she won a medal for the Arab country, wishing her luck "in the next two rounds".

"Congratulations. You have honoured Algeria, Algerian women and Algerian boxing. We will stand by you whatever your results," the head of state wrote.

Khelif criticised the IBA, the body that suspended her for "failing gender medical tests". "For years I have been boxing in international competitions; they (the International Boxing Association) have been dishonest with me," she said.

"I feel good. This is the first medal for an Algerian boxer. I want to thank everyone, especially the Arabs. It's a victory for all women," Khelif told the BBC. "I had to fight more away from the ring than in it. I've been doing it all my life. I'm ready," Khelif added.

The President of the IOC, Thomas Bach, who has recently received much criticism for Khelif's participation, held a press conference on Saturday morning and reiterated that there was "never any doubt" that the parties involved (Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting) were women and insisted that they would not engage in a politically motivated "culture war", without specifying by whom.

"Let's be very clear: we are talking about women's boxing; these are two boxers who were born women, who grew up as women, who have women's passports and who have been competing as women for many years," Bach said.