Coach Mohamed Chaoua believes that focusing on winning the 2024 Olympic gold medal is the best response Imane Khelif can make to the wave of baseless attacks on gender.

Khelif defeated Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand 5-0 in the women’s under-66kg semi-finals last night. Fans at Roland Garros cheered and chanted the Algerian’s name throughout the match. It was Khelif’s third straight win in Paris, setting her up for a final against second seed Yang Liu of China.

“We have worked hard for the past two years,” Khelif’s coach Mohamed Chaoua told Reuters , sitting in a cafe outside the Olympic village. “Winning gold is the best response to her critics.”

The referee announced Imane Khelif’s victory over Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand, in the women’s under-66kg boxing semi-final, at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Photo: AP

The controversy began with the International Boxing Association (IBA)’s decision to disqualify her and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting from the 2023 World Championships for failing gender testing. The controversy continued to rage and became a hot topic at Paris 2024, after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) refused to legally recognize the IBA, citing its erratic management. The IOC allowed the two boxers to compete because they met the criteria, while stressing that the IBA’s allegations were baseless.

Coach Chaoua said the controversy had affected his student a lot. The boxer born in 1999 asked the coach “why me?” and the coach could only encourage him. “Khelif did not surrender to a campaign of attacks,” Chaoua said. “She taught the critics a lesson in morality.”

Chaoua confirmed that Khelif was a woman and considered her his daughter. The coach met Khelif in 2015 and convinced Amar Khelif to let his daughter take up boxing, but struggled because the sport was not popular in conservative Algerian families. Khelif, the eldest of seven siblings, was shy and often helped her parents at home and sold bread on the street.

Mr Chaoua’s encouragement helped Khelif persevere in her boxing pursuit. Her strengths are quick reaction times and dedication. “She was very skinny before she developed the muscles she has now,” said coach Chaoua. “People criticize Khelif for having muscles, not knowing that women can have them.”

Coach Mohamed Chaoua (left) raises his arms to celebrate Imane Khelif’s victory in the women’s under-66kg semi-finals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Photo: AP

Mohamed Chaoua also said that the match between Khelif and Angela Carini of Italy was not the first time the two boxers had fought each other. Khelif won after 46 seconds , and Carini’s disappointed reactions, such as not shaking hands, unintentionally increased the wave of criticism aimed at the Algerian boxer. Later, Carini said that it was not intentional and wanted to apologize to Khelif , at the same time respecting the IOC in determining the athlete’s eligibility.

Meanwhile, after losing in the semi-finals, Suwannapheng did not see any problems with Khelif. “I heard about her but did not follow her closely,” the Thai boxer said. “She is a woman and very strong.”

On August 5, the IBA held a press conference to explain in detail the reasons for disqualifying Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting. The IBA confirmed that the two boxers were disqualified after testing revealed that their sex chromosomes were XY.

However, Professor Alun Williams, who specialises in sports genetics at Manchester Metropolitan University, told Reuters: “Just looking at a person’s sex chromosomes is not enough. A comprehensive assessment has to be made, because it’s really serious.”

Williams said that when considering whether an athlete has an unfair advantage, many factors need to be considered. They have to be considered chromosomes, testosterone levels and other hormones, as well as the body’s response to testosterone.

IBA President Umar Kremlev (center) attends an online press conference about athletes Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting, August 5.

Also at this press conference, the press agencies asked the IBA to provide more evidence and test results, but were not satisfied. The New York Times said: “Dr. Ioannis Filippatos – Former Chairman of the IBA Medical Committee – provided very little specific medical information. He said he did not want to talk too much about medicine in front of the media.”

IBA leaders have been generally inconsistent about gender, sexuality and testing. President Umar Kremlev said that testing showed testosterone levels as high as in men, but did not provide evidence. This comment contradicts the official IBA statement on August 1, which stated that “athletes do not undergo testosterone testing.” Other IBA members have repeatedly mentioned testosterone at the press conference.

Ultimately, the IBA press conference was described as chaotic, turning into President Kremlev’s criticism of the IOC and the Olympic opening ceremony.

In another interview with the AP , Chaoua said the IBA tests were worthless. He said the IBA did not do biological tests to prove Khelif was transgender, male or female. “They just took blood samples and said they found this and that,” Chaoua said.

The Algerian delegation also reacted strongly to the criticism and negative information about Khelif. The delegation representative said that fans are planning to fill the Roland Garros stadium to cheer Khelif in the final.

Meanwhile, Lin Yu-Ting will meet Turkish boxer Esra Yildiz Kahraman, in the women’s under-57kg semi-finals, tonight.

Taiwanese sports officials said they were considering legal action against the IBA. They sent a letter of protest saying that “the IBA is publishing false information, concealing the truth and trying to interfere with the normal organization of the event, regardless of the rights and interests of the athletes.”