TIARET.- In front of a crowd of supporters who welcomed her back to her country on Friday, the newly crowned Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif praised Algeria for supporting their athletes and hoped to make their compatriots proud again in the future.
The football-obsessed North African country has given Khelif treatment normally reserved for celebrities since he returned to the nation earlier this week. The outpouring of admiration has been particularly notable in Taret, the largely rural region in central Algeria where Khelif grew up and learned to box.
Fighter and national track star Djamel Sedjati were honoured by local leaders and then paraded through the streets on the top deck of a bus, as hundreds of residents raised their hands and took photos.
“All Algerians have the right to be happy and celebrate,” Khelif told reporters at a local government office on Friday. “This shows that the government and the people support sport.”
The Algerians vigorously defended Khelif as it advanced in the Paris Olympicsunder excessive attention and amid speculation about her gender.
Khelif has been dragged into a widespread row over gender and sport. The controversy erupted following reports that she had failed a series of tests in 2023 on eligibility for women’s fights by the International Boxing Association, an organisation currently marginalised from the Olympic movement.
Accusations everywhere
Billionaire Elon Musk, author JK Rowling and former US President Donald Trump were among those who claimed in social media posts that Khelif was a man. Algerians viewed the controversy as an attack on their nation.
Tiaret residents acknowledged Friday the difficulties Khelif faced during the Games and hoped that their success is just the beginning.
“We hope that the authorities will support her in her victorious moments like this one and also throughout the rest of the year. She has suffered enormously and has started from the bottom,” said Mohamed Hamou, who sat next to Khelif in Tiaret on Friday afternoon.
