ALGERIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE CONDEMN 'BASELESS' ATTACKS ON IMANE KHELIF - AFTER BOXER IS CLEARED TO COMPETE DESPITE BEING DISQUALIFIED FROM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS DUE TO HIGH TESTOSTERONE LEVELS

• Imane Khelif will fight today after being cleared to compete at the Olympics
• Khelif was disqualified from the World Championships due to testosterone levels
• Algeria has hit back after Italian ministers questioned the boxer's participation 

Algerian has hit back at 'baseless' and 'unethical' attacks against their boxer Imane Khelif - after Italian chiefs questioned her participation ahead of a fight today. 

Khelif is one of two boxers cleared to compete in the Olympics despite being banned from last year's World Championships due to being deemed biologically male. 

Both Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-Ting were thrown out of the world championships - with the former having excessively high testosterone levels for the women's category ahead of the final. 

A row has erupted in Paris after the International Olympic Committee cleared them both to compete as they meet eligibility criteria. 

The Algeria Olympic Committee (COA) said: 'COA strongly condemns the unethical targeting and maligning of our esteemed athlete, Imane Khelif, with baseless propaganda from certain foreign media outlets. 

'Such attacks on her personality and dignity are deeply unfair, especially as she prepares for the pinnacle of her career at the Olympics. The COA has taken all necessary measures to protect our champion.'

Both Khelif and Lin competed at the previous Olympics in Tokyo. Lin had her bronze medal stripped at the World Championships in March 2023 after failing a gender eligibility test. 

Khelif is set to fight today against Angela Carini in a Welterweight contest while Lin is due to face Sitora Turdibekova on Friday in the featherweight category. 

Italy's sports minister Andrea Abodi family minister Eugenia Roccella have both raised the alarm about Khelif fighting Carini.

The IOC said all boxers in Paris 'comply with the competition's eligibility and entry regulations'.

On Tuesday, IOC spokesman Mark Adams said: 'These athletes have competed many times before for many years, they haven't just suddenly arrived - they competed in Tokyo.'

Meanwhile, the International Boxing Association (IBA) said in a statement on Wednesday that the pair were disqualified last year to 'uphold the level of fairness and utmost integrity of the competition.

It said they 'did not undergo a testosterone examination but were subject to a separate and recognised test, whereby the specifics remain confidential.

'This test conclusively indicated that both athletes did not meet the required necessary eligibility criteria and were found to have competitive advantages over other female competitors,' the IBA added. 

Martina Navratilova, an 18-time Grand Slam winner, has criticised the decision to allow them to compete. 

'[The IOC] is ok with it,' she wrote on the. 'They were not born female. The DNA says male. This is not anti-trans at all - it's only trying to keep women's category female. Get it now?'

It is not clear if Navratilova is correct about them being born male. The former tennis star is a prominent prominent LGBTQI advocate and married to ex-fashion model Julia Lemigova, whom she wed in 2014.

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2024-08-01T06:37:58Z