JK Rowling On Olympics Gender Row: The boxing match between Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Italian boxer Angela Carini ended in just 46 seconds.
JK Rowling’s post has been criticised by many.
Harry Potter creator JK Rowling has courted controversy after she referred to Algerian boxer Imane Khelif as a man. Ms Rowling’s comment came after Khelif defeated Italian boxer Angela Carini at the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024.
The Carini-Khelif fight lasted 46 seconds after the Italian boxer decided to abandon the bout to “preserve her life”. Soon after, she fell to her knees sobbing and even refused to shake hands with Khelif. The Algerian boxer was announced as the winner.
Next, she shared a post by Kirsty Burrows, Head of the Safe Sport Unit at the International Olympic Committee (IOC), slamming them for allowing “a male to get in the ring with her (Carini).”
However, Rowling’s post has been criticised by many stating that Khelif was raised and identified as a female, and she is not a transgender. A user also pointed out that Algeria was a “Fundamentalist country where homosexuality and sex change are illegal and she had to go past the obstacles of her father’s disapproval to be able to do Boxing.”
As per the rules, athletes with Differences in Sex Development (DSD) are currently eligible to compete in women’s competition at the Olympics.
Why she’s been allowed to compete at the Paris Olympics 2024
In June last year, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stripped the International Boxing Association (IBA) of its status as the global governing body for boxing as it failed to complete reforms on governance, finance and ethical issues, Reuters reported.
Who is Imane Khelif?
The 25-year-old hails from the Tiaret city of Algeria and is also the UNICEF ambassador at present. While her father did not “approve of boxing for girls,” she decided to inspire the next generation by winning a gold medal on grand stages.
She made her debut as a professional in the 2018 World Championships and finished 17th. During the 2019 edition of the event, she came in 19th position. In the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, she was knocked out by Ireland’s Kellie Harrington in the quarter-finals.
Amid social media outrage over her eligibility, the IOC defended Khelif and said, “All athletes participating in the boxing tournament of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 comply with the competition’s eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations set by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit (PBU). As with previous Olympic boxing competitions, the gender and age of the athletes are based on their passports.”
Khelif is competing in the women’s category in the 66kg division.