Imane Khelif's semi-final opponent speaks out ahead of upcoming Olympics fight
An Olympic boxer has spoken out about Imane Khelif ahead of facing the Algerian in the boxing semi-finals.
Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand will face Khelif in the semi-finals of the women's 66kg boxing on Tuesday, August 6.
Khelif secured her place in the semi-finals - and guaranteed at least a bronze medal - by beating Hungary's Anna Luca Hamori by unanimous decision on Saturday, but her participation at the Games has sparked controversy.
The 25-year-old was disqualified from the Women's World Championships last year after failing International Boxing Association (IBA) gender eligibility rules.
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The IBA did not disclose the nature of the tests failed by Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting, who is also competing at the Paris Olympics.
Both were cleared to compete at the Games after passing tests administered by the Paris Boxing United, the body set up by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to organise boxing at the Olympics.
Khelif, who is a biological female, was widely accused of being a man and was subject to transphobic abuse on social media after she beat Italian boxer Angela Carini in just 46 seconds during her first bout of the 2024 Games.
Carini abandoned the fight after taking two blows to the face. She broke down in tears and claimed she had never been hit so hard before. She later apologised for withdrawing from the fight.
On Saturday, IOC President Thomas Bach defended Khelif and Lin.
"Let’s be very clear here: We are talking about women’s boxing," Bach said.
"We have two boxers who are born as a woman, who have been raised a woman, who have a passport as a woman, and who have competed for many years as women. And this is the clear definition of a woman. There was never any doubt about them being a woman."
Khelif's next opponent, Janjaem, has spoken about the Algerian ahead of their semi-final bout.
"I’ve looked into it too, about her hormones, and I know she’s lost to female boxers before, but that was a long time ago. "I’m not sure if she’s gotten stronger or if her male hormones have increased. But if we meet again, I’m not afraid because we’re evenly matched.
"I’ve prepared my body well too, trained a lot. I just think, no matter how strong or tough, we’re both human, we both have two fists. Having come this far, I want to go all the way to the gold medal."
The Thai boxer lost to Khelif in India last year but argued that she was exhausted and was experiencing the menstrual cycle.
Alex Brotherton