Boxing chief makes promise after Imane Khelif controversy at the Olympics and addresses 'transgender' claims
Imane Khelif: Boxing star has caused controversy at the Paris Olympics this summer
REUTERS
World Boxing president Boris van der Vorst has insisted the organisation would put athletes' safety first in developing its own policies on health and gender if they're able to take control of the sport at the Olympics.
The world has been left stunned after Imane Khelif beat Angela Carini on Thursday, with the Algerian previously failing a gender eligibility test at the World Boxing Championships last year.
Khelif had high levels of testosterone but has been allowed to compete in Paris by the International Olympic Committee.
World Boxing are aiming to run the men's and women's boxing events from the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles going forward.
Imane Khelif: Boxing star has caused controversy at the Paris Olympics this summer
REUTERS
And Van der Vorst has vowed to put athletes' safety first when it comes to developing policies on health and gender.
He told the Associated Press: “I think it’s very important that when people are eligible to compete here, we have to respect them.
“I think it’s a very sad situation for all boxers, everyone involved here.
"First of all, safety above all [will be a policy]. But I think with a combat sport, there could be some other reasons how you are going to deal with these kinds of situations.”
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Khelif is not transgender, contrary to some things that have been said and written online.
She was born female but it's her high testosterone levels that is causing such controversy out in France.
And Van der Vorst has insisted there's no evidence of Khelif being transgender, with the chief adding: “I have not seen one single test that is proving that [the boxers are] transgender.
“That’s the reason why it’s not very respectful for the boxers who are competing here ... to speak about them in these terms.
"That’s what I’m trying to stress. When there is proof, yeah, that’s a different situation.
"But I haven’t seen anything that proves it.”
This isn't the first Olympics Khelif has competed at, with the 25-year-old previously involved in the games in Tokyo back in 2021.
She lost to Ireland's Kellie Harrington in the quarter-finals of that tournament, missing out on a medal in the process.
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Imane Khelif: World Boxing chief Boris van der Vorst has insisted the organisation would put athletes' safety first in developing its own policies on health and gender if they're able to take control of the sport at the Olympics
REUTERS
Khelif will return to the ring against Hungary's Luca Anna Hamori in the last eight of the Olympics on Saturday.
Yet Hamori has refused to pile in on the Algerian and insisted she's not bothered about the current controversy.
"I’m not scared. I don’t care about the press story and social media," she said, per the New York Post.
Carini withdrew from the bout after just 46 seconds.
Imane Khelif: Boxing star won her Olympics bout against Angela Carini on Thursday
REUTERS
And that's something Hamori can't understand, with the Hungarian saying: "It was her choice.
"I don’t understand, because I thought every boxer’s mind is the same like mine, to never give up.
"But it was her choice. We don’t know what was the reason. It’s her life, but I know I want to do this in my own life.”