By Villepinte, France
CNN
—
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif won her women’s 66kg welterweight quarterfinal bout by unanimous points decision against Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori on Saturday, guaranteeing herself an Olympic medal in front of a near-capacity crowd that ardently had her back.
Before the match even started, fans were chanting in support of Khelif during previous matches and when she entered the ring they unleashed their biggest roar of the day at the North Paris Arena in Villepinte. Hamori, meanwhile, received boos and jeers from Khelif’s supporters as well as a smattering of applause as she made her way into the ring.
The stadium had a significant Algerian presence, many on their feet, waving flags or scarves in support of Khelif. France has a large Algerian community due to its close historical ties – Algeria achieved independence from France in 1962.
The fans in attendance were clearly well aware of the rampant media coverage and hate speech surrounding Khelif in the buildup to her quarterfinal. On Thursday, the Algerian’s opponent Angela Carini quit their bout after 46 seconds, a viral moment for which Carini later apologized and led to the online abuse of Khelif.
A social media furor later on in the day raised questions about Khelif’s participation, citing a 2023 decision by a now-discredited boxing regulator to bar her from a women’s tournament.
The fight against Carini has become a flashpoint for an often misinformed debate about how women are allowed to compete in sports. It also triggered an onslaught of online abuse, with transphobic commentators incorrectly calling Khelif “a man” because of the alleged physical advantage. Khelif was born a woman and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said Saturday that the organization firmly supported the Algerian.
Bach said his organization would not take part in what he called a “politically motivated cultural war.”
“We have two boxers who were born as a woman, who have been raised as a woman, who have a passport as a woman and who have competed for many years as women,” Bach said. “There was never any doubt about them being a woman.”
Khelif ultimately won by a unanimous points decision on Saturday against Hamori, winning all three rounds. The Hungarian shook Khelif’s hand after the fight and Khelif left the ring tearful after enduring two days at the center of a media storm.
“I am very very very happy because Imane Khelif received a wave of hate, she had a lot of criticism, she was compared to a man,” Amel, a spectator ringside, told CNN. “We came here to support her in view of what happened. So there you go, we are even happier to see that she came out the winner and we saw at the end that she was in tears and it was clear that what happened touched her. So frankly, we are very, very happy.”
Khelif is now assured of a medal at these Olympics and will face Thailand’s Janjeem Suwannapheng on Tuesday in the semifinals for a spot in the gold medal match. Regardless of the outcome, she will receive at least a bronze medal since the semifinal loser automatically receives one in the Olympic format.
