Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who was at the center of a gender row during the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, is set to turn professional.
Khelif won gold in the women’s welterweight event in Paris this summer, but her participation in the games was a source of controversy.
This came after she was disqualified from the 2023 Women’s World Boxing Championships by the International Boxing Associations (IBA) in relation to gender suitability rules, claiming she had failed a gender suitability test.
However, Khelif insisted that she was a woman and her father was even able to produce her birth certificate, which stated that she was born a woman.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) repeatedly defended its right to compete at the Games, while the IBA’s testing results and credibility were also questioned.
Imane Khelif, who was at the center of the gender row at the Olympics, turns professional
Algerian boxer Khelif won gold in the women’s welterweight event in Paris this summer
Her participation in the Games had been a source of debate, amid a ‘gender suitability row’
The Russian-led body – which labeled Khelif a “biological male” – had been stripped of its board by the IOC, claiming the IBA had alleged close ties to the Kremlin.
In fact, the IBA has been suspended by the IOC since 2019 due to concerns over its finances, governance, ethics, referees and judging.
But despite the buzz surrounding her success at the Olympics, Khelif is now ready to take the next step in her burgeoning career by turning pro.
On Sunday, she said: “I would like to hold a press conference today to share my success story with the media family and young women who are watching me.
“A documentary is being prepared on my success story and will be shown on international platforms.
‘I will soon enter the world of professional boxing, I have many offers.
“At the moment I have not made a decision on where I will enter professional boxing.
‘But very soon I will take this step, we as Algerians would like to see our level in terms of professionalism.’
In August, noted boxing promoter Eddie Hearn had revealed that he would be open to promoting Khelif.
Responding to a question on whether he would consider signing the boxer, Hearn told IFL TV: “Yes, if the facts were laid out and it was in a position where there is no reason why this person wouldn’t compete as a woman.
‘Yes, commercially speaking I would. First off, she’s a talented fighter. Secondly, commercially speaking, I think she has like two million Instagram followers, up from 30,000, so the answer is yes.
“But there are probably facts about the situation that we don’t know to be true.
Khelif insisted she was a woman and that her father could even produce her birth certificate
Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn revealed in August that he would be open to promoting Khelif
“But if a fighter was considered a woman with no physical advantages, but again, we hear about X/Y chromosomes, and I didn’t see anything, I just saw someone say, ‘We did this test.’
‘Do we get to see it? Or are we just going to believe that story? It’s never a conversation where I would say, ‘I’m not getting into this conversation. It is a current conversation.’
The fallout surrounding Khelif’s participation in the Olympics, along with that of fellow boxer Lin Yu-ting, prompted cries of anger from author JK Rowling and Elon Musk on social media, while Donald Trump also blasted the Algerian fighter.
Nabil Boudi, Khelif’s Paris-based lawyer, later revealed that they had opened a lawsuit with French authorities over comments made online about her gender.
No individuals have been named as defendants in the lawsuit, but a number of well-known celebrities have been referenced for their social media posts.
The 25-year-old Olympic champion revealed at the time that she had “suffered a lot of pain” due to intense scrutiny about her gender and questioned the intentions of those she believes harassed her.
“But immediately after that there was a lot of commotion from major politicians around the world, athletes around the world, and even artists and stars, Elon Musk, Trump… this thing… that influenced me,” she told El Birad .
‘I’m not lying to you, it affected me. It affected me a lot, hurt me a lot. I can’t describe to you how much fear I had.
Khelif previously talked about the major impact of the intensive control on her gender
Khelif’s success was widely celebrated by Algeria, and she even met the country’s president
‘The scenario was very scary. “Thank God all the people of Algeria and the Arab world knew Imane Khelif with her femininity, her courage and her will,” she added.
“To be honest, I don’t like getting into politics into sports, but they got into politics from sports. Sports and politics are two separate things. These politicians who oppress me have no right to say that I am transgender.”
Khelif’s success in the women’s 66kg category at the Paris Games was widely celebrated by Algeria, with the boxer given the honor of carrying her country’s flag at the closing ceremony, while also meeting Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.