Algerian boxer Imane Khelif ‘not intimidated’ by Donald Trump as she targets second Olympic gold in LA | Boxing Information – The Occasions of India

Algerian Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif, who discovered herself on the heart of a gender controversy through the Paris Video games, is now setting her sights on a second gold medal in Los Angeles. She stays unfazed by Donald Trump’s current insurance policies, which have sparked additional debate on transgender participation in sports activities.
Final month, the US president signed an govt order stopping transgender ladies from competing in feminine sports activities classes. Trump had beforehand claimed that the 25-year-old boxer had transitioned from male to feminine, which Khelif has strongly refuted.

“I will provide you with a simple reply — the US president issued a call associated to transgender insurance policies in America,” she informed Britain’s ITV Information.
“I’m not transgender. This doesn’t concern me, and it doesn’t intimidate me. That’s my response.”
In the meantime, Olympic officers lately really helpful boxing’s inclusion within the 2028 Los Angeles Video games following the provisional recognition of a brand new governing physique. The ultimate choice is ready to be authorized by the Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) in Greece later this week.
“Second gold medal, in fact,” mentioned Khelif. “In America, Los Angeles.”
Reflecting on her journey, Khelif believes she has grown stronger by the challenges she has confronted.
“This expertise has taught me loads. I consider that if the previous Imane operated at 50 p.c of her potential, then the Imane Khelif of as we speak is much more motivated and decided.

“I’ve discovered a lot from this marketing campaign in opposition to me, and what occurred on the Paris Olympics was an eye-opening expertise. I really feel even stronger now than I used to be earlier than.”
Her victory in Paris, alongside Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, ignited a heated debate on gender eligibility in sports activities, with public figures like Trump and Elon Musk weighing in.
Khelif admitted that the extraordinary scrutiny took a toll on her psychological well being, whereas her household additionally endured vital misery.
She shared that her mom needed to go to the hospital often because the controversy unfolded.
Each Khelif and Lin had been beforehand disqualified from the Worldwide Boxing Affiliation‘s (IBA) 2023 World Championships after the group claimed that they had failed gender eligibility assessments.
The IOC has since severed ties with the IBA as a consequence of considerations over governance, funds, and ethics. The IBA, lengthy related to beginner boxing, is presently led by Kremlin-linked Russian official Umar Kremlev.
Final month, the IOC provisionally acknowledged World Boxing as the brand new governing physique accountable for overseeing the game at future Olympic Video games.
‘NO FEAR’
“As we are saying in Algeria, those that don’t have anything to cover should not have any worry,” Khelif informed ITV. “The reality turned clear on the Paris Olympics — the injustice was uncovered and later, the reality was acknowledged by the Olympic Committee in Paris.”
She continued: “For me, I see myself as a woman, identical to some other lady. I used to be born a woman, raised as a woman, and have lived my whole life as one.

“I’ve competed in lots of tournaments, together with the Tokyo Olympics and different main competitions, in addition to 4 world championships.
“All of those passed off earlier than I began successful and incomes titles. However as soon as I started reaching success, the campaigns in opposition to me began.”
The talk surrounding transgender athletes and rivals with variations in intercourse improvement (DSD) has develop into a central matter within the IOC presidential race, which is ready to conclude on Thursday.
Main candidates Juan Antonio Samaranch Junior, Sebastian Coe, and Kirsty Coventry have all emphasised the significance of preserving equity in ladies’s sports activities.
World Athletics president Coe informed AFP in an interview final 12 months: “If we don’t defend ladies’s sport and we do not have a transparent and unambiguous set of insurance policies to do this, then we run the chance of shedding ladies’s sport.”
Khelif expressed her hope that the subsequent IOC president would uphold the core rules of the Olympic motion.
“I hope the subsequent president of the IOC leads with true sportsmanship, stays dedicated to Olympic rules, and upholds the values of honest play.”