Controversial Olympic boxer Iman Khalif’s troubled childhood came to light after his 46-second victory (against the Italian boxer) on the international stage. guild Controversy ensued, along with a storm of misinformation.
Algeria Iman Khalif belonging to Olympic Games I faced severe difficulties to participate. He even had to sell double bread on the streets as a child to pursue his dream of boxing in a ‘conservative’ environment, commonly referred to as a men’s sport.
Talking about the hardships he faced during his life, he revealed: ‘I sold double bread in the streets, collected utensils and other things to earn money to live, because I belong to a lot of people. He is from a poor family.’
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Iman Khalifa, who was born a woman and has lived as a woman all her life, became the center of debate about trans women at the Olympic Games when her rival Angela Carini from Italy (Iman Khalifa’s Maka, whom she calls the toughest Maka of her life, refused to fight them after the meal.
Although several high-profile figures accused Iman Khalif of being a trans man, playing unfairly against women, it soon became clear that Iman Khalif, who lost nine times in his international career Hui, is a woman. But she had previously failed a gender test due to a medical condition – similar controversies South African athlete Caster Semenya has faced throughout her career.
The 25-year-old athlete has previously revealed how she made it to the bigs, despite being told that boxing is ‘only for men’.
He explained that although he had a ‘difficult’ childhood, a teacher recognized that he had the right ‘physical attributes’ to be good at boxing.
“I have always loved football and I played it in my small village,” he said in an interview. My father always preferred football to boxing, but I was very good at sports in my school and my teacher encouraged me to become a boxer because I had good physical characteristics and he was right.’
Growing up in a conservative area of Algeria, where transgenderism and homosexuality are illegal, Iman Khalif explained that people around her thought boxing was a sport only for men.
“I belong to a conservative area and family,” he said of his ‘difficult’ beginning. Boxing was a sport reserved for men only.’
Algerian boxer Iman Khalif with his father and siblings (Photo provided by family/The Independent)
Iman Khalif, who admits that she comes from a poor background, said that even training as a boxer was difficult and she had to raise money for her training.
He said: ‘These are the hurdles I faced when I started.
‘I used to sell double bread on the streets, I collected utensils and other things to earn enough money to live because I belonged to a very poor family.’
But her persistence paid off and she eventually moved to the Algerian capital and then built a life abroad to pursue her sporting dreams.
However, Iman Khalifa has faced new problems over the past year, which has been attributed to a ‘medical condition’.
This led to her and Taiwan’s Lin Yu Ting being disqualified from last year’s world championships at the last minute because they did not meet the gender eligibility criteria.
Iman Khalifa’s father shows a picture of him as a teenager on his mobile phone (Reuters)
Reacting to his previous ban, Iman Khalif said: ‘After a great year, 2023 was very difficult for me. It was a big blow for me but I came back to show my strength and determination and show the whole world what a brave woman Iman Khalifa is.’
Angela Carini, who gave up on her Olympic dreams after facing Iman Khalif, said she feared for her life.
She later told reporters: ‘I couldn’t play further. My nose was very sore.’
‘I said: stop, it’s better not to play anymore. My nose was bleeding from the first cut.
‘It could have been the match of my life, but in that moment, I also had to protect my life. I felt like doing it, I had no more fear, I had no fear of getting hurt or hurt.
“I have often competed in the national team. I train with my brother. I have always fought against men, but today I felt a lot of pain.’
Italy’s Angela Carini reacts during their women’s 66kg preliminary round boxing match against Algeria’s Iman Khalif during the Paris Olympic Games on August 1, 2024 (AFP)
Despite the controversy, the International Olympic Committee has defended its decision to allow disqualified women to compete at the World Championships.
Spokesman Mark Adams said: ‘I will say that there are real people involved and we are talking about real people’s lives here. She has competed and will continue to compete in women’s competition. In recent years, she has lost to other women and she has also won.’
Although little is known about Iman Khalif’s medical history, a test by the International Boxing Association (IBA) confirmed that he had a (male) XY chromosome and was therefore eligible. Did not meet the criteria.
But the presence of these chromosomes does not mean that Iman Khalif is transgender and it is assumed that he has a sexual developmental disorder, a collective name for a few rare conditions that cause a person’s development to be delayed at birth. It varies by gender.
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2024-08-04 14:53:03
