Visit our website:
http://www.france24.com
Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English
Follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/France24_en
Category
đź—ž
NewsTranscript
00:00Iman Khalif has gone for gold, beating China's Yang Lui for the welterweight boxing title,
00:07in spite of the controversy that has overshadowed boxing events in Paris.
00:13I am a woman, like any woman. I was born a woman and I have lived as a woman. But there
00:18are enemies to success and they can't digest my success.
00:23Early on in the Games, news emerged that the Algerian athlete allegedly failed a gender
00:27eligibility test in 2023 due to certain chromosomes, a test result that the International Olympic
00:34Committee disregards.
00:36Khalif was disqualified from last year's World Championships by the International Boxing
00:40Association.
00:42The Olympic Committee's decision to allow those who failed the test to compete in the
00:45women's division sparked debate, amidst heightened scrutiny around women's sport and transgender
00:51athletes.
00:53The tests themselves, the process of the tests, the ad hoc nature of the tests are not legitimate
01:00and you'll also expect me to tell you that I'm not going to discuss the individual intimate
01:05details of athletes in public, which I think is pretty disgraceful for those who have leaked
01:11that material. Frankly, to be put in that position must be awful.
01:17Women must be allowed to take part in women's competitions. And the two are women.
01:28In the face of a fierce gender debate both on and offline, Iman's case has led to a surge
01:33of support at home in Algeria.
01:36From the country's president to aspiring athletes from her hometown.
01:42Iman is a woman. She was born a girl, lived as a girl and boxes like a woman. Criticism
01:49and attacks don't affect her. We say to her, continue your career and pursue your dream,
01:55which is to win the gold medal and first place.
01:58A dream which has now become reality.