A female boxer who found herself at the centre of a gender row at the Paris Olympics has been given a hero's welcome after returning to Algeria following the 2024 Games.
Imane Khelif, 25, secured gold in the women's 66kg event after defeating China's Yang Liu in a unanimous decision on Friday, August 9.
However, her victory was overshadowed by scrutiny over her eligibility to compete, along with that of Taiwan's Lin Yu-Ting, who also won gold in the women's 57kg category.
Both fighters had been disqualified from the 2023 World Championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA) after failing a so-called “gender test”, though the pair insisted they were born female.
Following her victory on Friday, Khelif addressed the controversy, saying: "I am fully qualified. I am a woman like any other woman. I was born a woman, I lived as a woman, I competed as a woman - there is no doubt."
Upon her return to Algeria, Khelif was greeted by fans, reporters and government officials at Houari Boumediene Airport in Algiers. The boxer was seen smiling and presenting her gold medal to members of the crowd while fist-pumping the air in celebration.
Khelif stood alongside Abderrahmane Hammed and her teammates, with Algeria having secured two gold medals and one bronze medal at the Paris Games.
In her post-victory comments last week, Khelif added: "I want to tell the world that they should commit to the Olympic principles and they should not bully people."
“This is the message of the Olympics. I hope people stop bullying. We are in the Olympics to perform as athletes, to our families. I hope will not see any similar attacks in future.”
It comes after JK Rowling and Elon Musk were named in a cyberbullying complaint made by Khelif.
The boxer confirmed through her lawyers that she had contacted France's anti-online hatred centre at the Parisian public prosecutor's office.
"JK Rowling and Elon Musk are named in the lawsuit, among others," Khelif's French lawyer, Nabil Boudi, said. "[Donald] Trump tweeted, so whether or not he is named in our lawsuit, he will inevitably be looked into as part of the prosecution."
