VILLEPINTE, France (AP) — A passionate crowd showered Algerian boxer Imane Khelif with cheers during her fight Saturday at the Paris Olympics, repeatedly chanting “Imane! Imane!” before the athlete who has faced a cascade of backlash over false claims about her gender broke out in sobs following her win.
A large contingent of Algerian supporters called her name and waved flags throughout the women’s 66-kilogram quarterfinal at North Paris Arena, and they unleashed some booes as her opponent was introduced in the jam-packed venue.
Khelif defeated Anna Luca Hamori of Hungary 5:0 to ensure that she will win at least a bronze medal.
Khelif took to the ring amid days of international scrutiny and online abuse as misconceptions about her gender added to an ongoing clash over gender identity and regulation in sports. The outcry about Khelif’s participation in the Paris Games exploded after she won her opening bout Thursday, when opponent Angela Carini of Italy tearfully abandoned the fight after just 46 seconds.
The online outrage included comments from former U.S. President Donald Trump, “Harry Potter” writer J.K. Rowling, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and others falsely claiming Khelif was a man or transgender.
Hamori’s boxing association also sent letters protesting Saturday’s fight to both the International Olympic Committee and Hungary’s Olympic committee.
There was a strong show of support for Khelif at the arena, including from dozens of Algerians draped in the North African country’s flag who danced and cheered outside after she won.
One of them, Redouane Guebli, 42, said he was “so proud of her. Imane is a warrior, she is a fighter, she is a true athlete.” He called hateful comments about Khelif “irresponsible” and “disrespectful.”
Among crowds of people wearing Algerian colors were a pack of Italian fans who also said they were supporting Khelif after Carini abandoned the match.
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Sergio Stoppioni, 20, who had an Italian flag wrapped around his waist, said he and his friends were angry at what they saw as Meloni and other Italian politicians latching on to the moment to rile up their political base.
“It’s ridiculous that all these politicians are talking about this. Italy has real problems,” Stoppioni said. “They use this to distract the people from the real problems.”
Stoppioni and his friends noted that they sympathized with Carini, who they said was pulled in to a flurry of disinformation circulating about Khelif.
Niccoló Moretti, 19, said the collective outrage he saw on the internet in past few days made him mad in turn, adding that the topic of gender issues in sports deserves a more nuanced and calm debate.
“I can’t stand this kind of conversation,” he said. “The debate has to be a bit more complicated.”
Not everyone was there to cheer on Khelif.
Csaba Fodor of Hungary was there to support Hamori and said he was strongly against the decision to allow the fight to go on, repeating false claims about Khelif’s gender.
Fodor added that he thought the crowd would be quite hostile toward Khelif, but the environment inside the arena was the opposite.
Fans bellowed and clapped excitably with each jab Khelif landed. And she was overcome with emotion after it was over.
She sat down for a moment after she was declared the winner. She then got up, bent down in the center of the ring and pretended to scribble on the mat.
She pumped her fists and wiped tears from her face. Hundreds of phones were lifted in her direction as she exited.
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