A Saturday quarterfinal in women’s boxing is drawing an unusual amount of attention thanks to the participation of Algeria’s Imane Khelif. The Hungarian Boxing Association is protesting to the International Olympic Committee ahead of Khelif’s scheduled matchup with Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori.
Hungary’s state news agency said Hamori still plans to go through with the fight, though the association may make a legal challenge to Khelif’s participation, too.
Khelif’s in-ring run in Paris began with a first-round victory after Italy’s Angela Carini conceded the bout after 46 seconds. Carini’s emotional reaction to the loss yielded a visit from the Italian prime minister and generated worldwide headlines.
Khelif, a welterweight, fought in the Tokyo Games in 2021 and was a non-medalist, but the focus on her participation in 2024 stems from a post-competition disqualification at the 2023 world championships. The International Boxing Association said after that event that Khelif and another boxer, Lin-Yu-ting of Chinese Taipei, had failed unspecified gender eligibility tests.
The disqualification was issued without documentation from the tests and both fighters had competed in previous IBA events without incident. The IOC labeled it as sudden and arbitrary, and without due process.
Lin won a unanimous decision in her Friday morning bout in the round of 16, defeating Uzbekistan’s Sitora Turdibekova at featherweight. She will face Svetlana Staneva of Bulgaria in the quarterfinals.
The IOC said eligibility rules for this year’s Games were based on rules from the Tokyo Games and would not be changed during the competition. The committee issued a Thursday statement lamenting the treatment Khelif and Lin have endured.
“The IOC is saddened by the abuse that the two athletes are currently receiving,” the IOC said. “Every person has the right to practice sport without discrimination.”
