Algerian Olympic boxer Imane Khelif responds to Donald Trump’s criticism: “It does not intimidate me”

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has been subject to a lot of baseless speculation since rising to global attention at the 2024 Olympic Games. Some of that has even come from comments made by President Donald Trump.

Khelif is a cisgender woman who triumphed in the women’s 66kg boxing competition in Paris. In one match she beat Italian boxer Angela Carini in 46 second and the beaten fighter falsely claimed that the Algerian was “a man.” Carini’s comments were completely untrue but circulated online and Khelif was left to face a huge backlash.

Trump was one of those who spread the lies, incorrectly referring to Khelif as someone who had “transitioned”. Speaking after signing the ‘Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports' executive order earlier this year, Trump said: “Who could forget last year’s Paris Olympics, where a male boxer stole the women’s gold medal.”

In a recent interview with ITV News, Khelif responded directly to Trump’s falsehoods and reiterated that she will not be forced out of the sport that she loves by misinformed comments.

“I will give you a straightforward answer: the US president issued a decision related to transgender policies in America. I am not transgender,” Khelif said. “This does not concern me, and it does not intimidate me. That is my response. For me, I see myself as a girl just like any other girl. I was born a girl, raised as a girl, and have lived my entire life as one.”

She added that the fallout from the Olympics had been difficult to deal with, even though she came home with the gold medal. Her family were placed under immense scrutiny and struggled to deal with the unwanted attention.

“Even my mother was deeply affected. She was going to the hospital almost every day,” she explained. “My relatives were also impacted, and the entire Algerian people felt the weight of the situation. This went beyond just a sporting issue or a game; it escalated into a major media campaign.”

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