“Such athletes should not compete on an equal basis with other girls” – Amineva about Algerian Khelif

Russian Azalia Amineva explained why she challenged Algerian athlete Iman Khelif, who was allowed to compete in the Paris Games by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) despite failing the gender test, to a fight.

In 2023, the International Boxing Association (IBA) suspended Khelif and Lin Yuting (Taiwan) during the World Championships in India for failing to meet the eligibility criteria. A gender test showed that the athletes had XY chromosomes. The IOC allowed them to compete in women’s boxing at the Olympics in Paris. Khelif and Yuting have already reached the semi-finals, guaranteeing themselves at least bronze medals. Amineva challenged Khelif, promising to answer for all female boxers.

— This decision was made after watching Khelif’s fight with Angela Carini. I felt sorry for the Italian, I recorded a video with words of support for her. I said that this is far from the end, you shouldn’t give up, all the victories are still ahead. And after that, I got the idea to challenge Iman to a fight. I am ready to beat her by any rules – amateur, professional. I want to answer for all the girls who got in her way.

Why did Khelif’s success at the Paris Olympics hurt me so much? Athletes like Iman should not compete on an equal footing with other girls. It’s high time for world sports to follow the example of the IBA in this regard, where she was banned from participating in women’s competitions. I was surprised when I saw her in the Olympic grid, RT quotes Amineva as saying.

Boxing competitions at the Olympics are organised by a special unit created by the IOC Executive Board. In June 2023, the IOC Session voted by a majority vote to exclude the IBA from the Olympic movement.

• “Khelif is an intersex athlete. Her participation in the 2024 Olympics discriminates against other athletes” – Safeeva