Paris 2024: Algerian fans roar Imane Khelif to Olympic gold

Thousands of Algerian fans roared Imane Khelif, one of two boxers at the centre of a gender eligibility row, to Olympic boxing gold on a packed Philippe-Chatrier Court at Roland Garros.

To tumbling chants of "Imane, Imane", the 25-year-old welterweight scored a unanimous decision over China's reigning world champion Liu Yang, dominating their three-round bout before being carried on a lap of honour around the arena by her jubilant cornermen.

Khelif's victory completed a remarkable nine days since she won her first-round bout over Italy's Angela Carini in just 46 seconds, sparking a global outcry which can only be expected to escalate in the wake of her comprehensive win.

Khelif and Taiwan boxer Lin Yu-ting were both cleared to compete by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), despite being banned by the International Boxing Association (IBA) in 2023 for allegedly failing to meet gender eligibility criteria.

At a chaotic press conference staged by the discredited governing body in Paris last week, the IBA failed to provide any concrete evidence of the testing process or results.

The IBA has been barred from involvement in each of the last two Olympic boxing tournaments by the IOC over financial and corruption concerns and its president Umar Kremlev has repeatedly railed against the governance of IOC president Thomas Bach.

Kremlev, or the IBA, have variously alleged the presence of XY chromosomes or elevated testosterone levels in tests supposedly submitted by Khelif and Lin, but the presented evidence has often been contradictory and is as yet unsubstantiated.

Prior to her ban, which followed a win over previously unbeaten Russian prospect Azalia Amineva, Khelif had competed as a woman throughout her career.

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