Footage has resurfaced of Imane Khelif competing at the Tokyo Olympics, as a fierce debate over her involvement at the 2024 Games in Paris continues.
The decision to allow Khelif to compete at this summer's Games has proved to be controversial, with debate intensifying on Thursday after Italy's Angela Carini abandoned her bout against the Algerian just 46 seconds into their welterweight contest.
Khelif is one of two boxers along with Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting cleared to fight at the Olympics despite being disqualified from the Women's World Championships last year for failing gender eligibility tests.
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At the time, the International Boxing Association (IBA) - the organiser of the World Championships - said the two athletes were excluded based on tests that showed "they have XY chromosomes".
However, there has been a lack of clarity over the testing procedure and its results.
The Russian-led IBA has also faced questions about its governance of boxing and in June of last year was stripped of its status as the sport's world governing body by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
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As a result, boxing at the 2024 Olympics is instead being overseen by another body, the Paris Boxing Unit (PBU), which approved both Khelif and Lin to take part in the Games.
The IOC issued a strongly worded statement on Thursday, affirming Khelif and Lin's eligibility to take part in the 2024 Games.
While earlier this week, IOC spokesperson Mark Adams pointed out that both Khelif and Lin competed at the delayed 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, held in 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
"These athletes have competed many times before for many years, they haven't just suddenly arrived - they competed in Tokyo," said Adams.
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Footage has now resurfaced of Khelif taking on Ireland's Kellie Harrington in the quarter-finals of the women's 60kg competition at those Games, which you can watch below.
Harrington prevailed on that occasion, winning by unanimous decision on the judges' scorecards.
Another Irish fighter, Amy Broadhurst – who competed for Team GB at this summer's Games – recently spoke out on Khelif competing in Paris, having previously fought and beaten the Algerian in the final of the 2022 World Championships.
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"Have a lot of people texting me over Imane Khelif," she posted on X.
"Personally I don't think she has done anything to 'cheat'.
"I thinks it's the way she was born and that's out of her control. The fact that she has been [beaten] by nine females before says it all."
Khelif returns to action on Saturday, taking on Hungary's Anna Luca Hamori in a quarter-final contest at the North Paris Arena.
Rory O'Callaghan