Home » Imane Khelif “does not care” about rumors, says uncle

Imane Khelif “does not care” about rumors, says uncle

Rachid Jabeur, the uncle of Imane Khelif, says the boxer “does not care” about the rumors surrounding her gender.

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Khelif “does not care” about gender rumors, says her uncle

The Algeria international found herself at the center of a gender controversy following her match against Italy’s Angela Carini in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Khelif’s gender became a hot topic on social media after she defeated Carini in just 45 seconds.

Many speculated that the 25-year-old boxer was either born male or transgender.

Despite the uproar, Khelif went on to defeat Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng to reach the final.

Jabeur defended his niece, emphasizing, “Imane was born female and has always lived as a female.”

“She is always trying to overcome this bullying, and there are people around her who support her.” he told Hindustan Times.

“She does not believe in defeat and does not care about these rumours.”

Jabeur also shared Khelif’s upbringing before she began her boxing career.

“We welcomed her into our home in the city [Tiaret] where we cared for her with special meals and for sports training,”he said. “We supported and encouraged her as part of our family.”

“I always told my sons to accompany her to and from training sessions to protect her.”

IOC strips IBA’s staus as the global governing body for boxing

On the other hand, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stripped the International Boxing Association (IBA) of its status as the global governing body for boxing.

This decision came after the IBA disqualified Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting from the World Championships following a chromosome test.

“We are talking about women’s boxing. We have two boxers who were born as women, raised as women, who have passports as women and who have competed for many years as women and this is a clear definition of a woman,” said IOC President Thomas Bach in a press conference on Saturday.