Algerian boxer's journey from hardship to olympic recognition
Imane Khelif became a professional boxer despite her father's opposition. The Algerian hails from a poor village where every father wants his daughter to get married and have children. Her uncle, Muhammad Khalif, shared her story with "Al Arabiya" and showed the house where she grew up.
Imane Khelif stirred up many controversies after her fight against Angela Carini. The Italian stopped the match after 26 seconds, claiming she had never taken such powerful blows and adding that she "feared for her life." Since then, doubts have emerged regarding the Algerian boxer's gender.
The International Boxing Association (IBA) conducted a gender test in 2022, revealing that the Algerian representative has an XY chromosome and prohibited her from competing in the IBA federation. However, at the end of July 2024, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) declared that the boxer is a woman and should be allowed to compete as a woman, though many people still doubt it.
Capitalizing on the publicity surrounding Imane Khelif, journalists from "Al Arabiya" visited her hometown of Biban Mesbah in Algeria, near the city of Tijarat. It was there that her journey with strength sports began. According to her uncle's stories, the young boxer could walk more than two hours to get to the gym or wait hours for the bus to arrive.
They visited Imane Khelif's home. Her father didn't want her to box
She grew up in an environment where none of the young girls were considered to become professional athletes. The vast majority were raised with traditional values following religion. Families couldn't imagine them becoming professional athletes, let alone engaging in combat sports.
The locals don’t accept the idea of a girl boxing. Even her father disagreed and fought against it. He wanted to see her like any other woman from the village, waiting for a groom and getting married. I asked him to let her pursue her favourite hobby, which is sports - said Imane Khelif's uncle to "Al Arabiya".
The living conditions were also against Imane Khelif. She grew up with three sisters and one brother. Her father did not have a significant income, and her mother was ill, which forced the boxing champion to do simple jobs to support the family financially and save money for travel to Tijarat for training. The boxer's neighbours reported seeing her as a little girl playing soccer, but she became solely interested in the gym over the years.
She was an energetic girl. She sold bread in the area and collected recyclable materials. Everything indicated that she would achieve much - quotes a neighbour of the boxer from the mentioned source.
The journalists also spoke with Imane Khelif's younger brother, who is nearly ten years old. When asked if he is proud of his sister, he replied: - Now everyone is proud of my sister, as if she were the sister of every Algerian. He added that everyone was very moved by her quarterfinal fight at the Olympic Games against Luka Anna Hamori. A unique atmosphere prevailed in their home.
The villagers took advantage of the journalists' presence to appeal to the authorities for adequate access to drinking water and transportation. - Provide us with this, and we will "produce" dozens of heroes like Imane - we read.
