Hungarian boxer Anna Luca Hamori shared her concerns about competing against Algerian Imane Khelif in the 66 kg boxing quarter-finals at the Paris Olympics 2024.
Hamori, who earned a silver medal at the 2022 European Championships and participated in the 2018 Youth Olympic Games, voiced her unease on social media regarding Khelif’s qualification in the women’s category. “In my humble opinion, it’s unfair for this contestant to compete in the women’s category. But now, I must focus on the competition and cannot change this situation; it’s life,” she stated.
Khelif, alongside Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, faced disqualification from last year’s Women’s World Championships after failing gender eligibility tests by the International Boxing Association (IBA), which also revoked their medals and barred them from women’s events. Despite past controversies, both athletes were cleared to compete in the Olympics as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) determines gender eligibility based on the athlete’s passport.
The Hungarian Boxing Association and Olympic Committee have challenged Khelif’s eligibility, advocating for discussions with the IOC to ensure fair competition principles. Similarly, Bulgarian boxer Svetlana Kamenova Staneva, facing Lin in her quarter-final, echoed concerns about equity in the competition, supported by the Bulgarian Boxing Federation.
Including Khelif has sparked debate beyond the competitors, with Kheireddine Barbari, head of the Algerian delegation, denouncing the campaign against Khelif as “immoral” and filing a complaint with the IOC. Having stripped the IBA of its governing body status, the IOC defended its decision, emphasizing that Khelif and Lin were disqualified without due process by the IBA and were eligible to compete based on their passport details.
