The IOC, through spokesman Mark Adams, reiterated the organisation's position on the International Boxing Association (IBA) and its handling of the situation, which has sparked a worldwide debate on the eligibility of the two athletes.

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.”

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 (IOC) 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.

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. 

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.

IOC attacks IBA

Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting are at the centre of controversy, having reached the boxing semi-finals despite previous IBA disqualifications for gender eligibility. It has now emerged that the IBA, which has been repeatedly criticised by the IOC, informed Olympic organisers of its test results on Khelif in June last year. According to the IBA's June 2023 correspondence, tests carried out in India last year and in Turkey in May 2022 concluded that Khelif's DNA consisted of XY chromosomes.

Adams confirmed that the IOC had received a letter from the IBA, first reported by 3 Wire Sports, claiming that Khelif's DNA showed XY chromosomes. However, Adams dismissed these tests as illegitimate and carried out on an ad hoc basis, and criticised the leak of such sensitive information. Adams wouldn't discuss the contents of the letter, but reiterated: "These tests are not legitimate."