Parents in focus

Entry dispute! Trouble before Khelif’s Olympic gold medal match

Imane Khelif is in the Olympic final.

(Bild: AP/John Locher)

Imane Khelif, who is at the center of a gender debate, has fought her way through to the Olympic final. Her parents would have loved to have the "male" boxer there with them. But before the eagerly awaited gold medal match, there is an entry dispute.

According to Algerian media reports, there are problems surrounding the entry of Khelif's parents. The daily newspaper "Echorouk" reports that it is not normally possible for her parents to come to France. No exact reason is given. It is possible that the parents do not have the necessary documents to enter the country.

Father Omar Khelif with his younger children

(Bild: AFP)

The athlete's parents live in the province of Tiaret and are not used to traveling to other countries, according to reports. Now even politicians at the "highest level" have apparently been called in to solve the problem so that Khelif's mother and father can still attend the fight. On Friday evening, Khelif will fight for gold in the welterweight division against Chinese fighter Yang Liu.

Gender debate
The fights between Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting from Taiwan are accompanied by a fierce controversy over starting rights. This goes far beyond sport and has also reached the highest political circles.

Both boxers were excluded from the 2023 World Championships following unspecified gender tests by the IBA, which is no longer recognized by the International Olympic Committee. According to the IBA, neither of them had met the required participation criteria and had "competitive advantages compared to other female participants".