Strictly's Motsi Mabuse issues series of scathing posts as she weighs in on Imane Khelif's Olympic gender row
Motisi Mabuse fiercely defended Imane Khelif
BBC/GETTY
Strictly Come Dancing judge Motsi Mabuse has issued a series of scathing rants on her social media account defending Olympic boxer Imane Khelif after the 25-year-old made headlines around the world in a gender row.
Khelif has been one of the most talked about competitors in the summer games after her opponent Angela Carini quit just 46 seconds into their bout at the 2024 contest.
She has been subject to a barrage of criticism online as she was one of two female boxers cleared by the International Olympics Committee (IOC) to compete in the women's category at the Paris Olympics despite being disqualified from last year's world championships.
The Algerian boxer is now guaranteed a medal in the women's 66kg category after defeating Luca Hamori in the quarter-finals.
The Strictly judge recently defended Khelif and slammed the conversation surrounding her gender eligibility, branding it as "disgusting", while also calling out "racist, misogynistic and small-minded" people.
Sharing her views on her Instagram story, she fumed: "Racism and transphobia will never end but we call it out!!!!!"
Motsi Mabuse issued a series of scathing posts on her Instagram
While another post read: "Khelif and Lin are two-time Olympians who fought in the Tokyo Games with no controversy. Lin has been an elite-level amateur boxer for a decade and Khelif for six years.
"They were allowed to compete in Paris by the IOC task force, which has run the past two Olympic boxing tournaments. The IOC on Thursday defended their right to compete. Olympic boxing reached gender parity for the first time this year, with 124 men and 124 women competing in Paris."
A third post saw the professional dancer rant: "The discussion is absolutely disgusting. She has been boxing in competitions for a while. She has also lost matches. She was born as a girl.
"The Algerian Olympic Committee issued a statement Wednesday condemning what it termed 'lies' and 'unethical' targeting and maligning of our esteemed athlete, Imane Khelif, with baseless propaganda from certain foreign media outlets."
Motsi Mabuse defended Imane Khelif due to the ongoing gender criticism
Further defending Khelif, Mabuse went on to make comparisons, with one noting that "banning females with naturally high levels of testosterone is like banning basketball players for being too tall!"
A second reference saw the 43-year-old reference black athletes such as Serena Williams and middle-distance runner Caster Semenya, stating they were both "accused of being a man when outperforming a white female".
She shared images of Khelif and her previous opponent - Amy Broadhurst - with footage of their bout in which Broadhurst defeated Khelif two years ago recently resurfaced.
Motsi said alongside the image: "I don't think she's done anything to 'cheat'. I think it's the way she was born & that's out of her control. The fact that she's been [beaten] by 9 females before says it all!"
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The Algerian boxer is now guaranteed a medal in the women's 66kg category
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She uploaded a video which featured a meme of a little girl screaming in frustration, with Motsi writing: "Every time speak to racist, ignorant, small-minded, misogynistic, unreflected people."
In one last swipe, Motsi accused Khelif's opponent of "emotionally manipulating" everyone and creating a "toxic atmosphere" for the rest of Khelif's Olympic journey. (sic)
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