Algerian Boxer Imane Khelif's Father Breaks Silence Amid Gender Controversy at Paris Olympics

Imane came to the limelight after her win against Italy's Angela Carini, who gave up the fight after 46 seconds.

The 25-year-old boxer's father Omar Khelif broke his silence and came forward to defend his daughter. He said that his child was raised as a girl.

In an interview to Sky news, he said, “My child is a girl. She was raised as a girl. She’s a strong girl. I raised her to be hard working and brave. She has a strong will to work and to train.”

Omar showed an official document dated May 2, 1999, verifying Imane Khelif's identity as female, reported Reuters.

The Algerian boxer's father said that his daughter loved the sport when she was six-years-old. He also said that the "critics aim to destabilize her to fail in the boxing ring."

Sulaiman Ahmed, a journalist, posted a clip of an interview on X, he wrote, "Imane Khelif's father defends his daughter: My daughter is a woman, we have all the evidence, including her birth certificate. My daughter was just stronger than the Italian boxer. She works very hard.”

The post with more that 2 million views (while writing) has received many reactions.

A user commented, "How a father or any parent must feel when the world says such disgusting things about his daughter!!?"

"Must be a proud father to have raised a strong daughter and I hope he hasn’t seen any of the drama that unfolded in her name online. Westerners need to keep their gender issues to themselves," another user commented.

A third user commented,"Shame on the people who upset her family and spoiled her proud father's celebration."

Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), has backed boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting's participation in the Paris Olympics 2024.

“We have two boxers who were born as women, who have been raised as women, who have a passport as a woman, and who have competed for many years as women,” he said.