Imane Khelif fires back with Churchill quote as new IOC chief vows to ‘protect women's sports'

Mint

18 hours ago

Controversial Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif fired back after the new Olympics chief declared the International Olympic Committee would prioritise safeguarding the female category in sport 'to ensure fairness.'
Khelif, who faced questions over eligibility to compete in the women's division at the 2024 Paris Olympics, posted a defiant message to Instagram Stories quoting Winston Churchill: 'Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts,' the boxer wrote.
New IOC President Kirsty Coventry outlined plans to revisit policy on transgender inclusion and sex eligibility across Olympic sports.
Coventry said she had 'overwhelming support' to take steps that would protect the women's category, citing controversies that have roiled sports federations.
'We understand that there'll be differences depending on the sport … but it was very clear from the members that we have to protect the female category, first and foremost to ensure fairness,' Coventry said.
She emphasised any process would involve close consultation with medical experts and governing bodies: 'It was pretty much unanimously felt that the IOC should take a leading role in bringing everyone together to try and find a broad consensus,' she added.
Coventry indicated the IOC might look to the World Athletics model, which bars athletes who have undergone male puberty from competing in women's events.
'The discussion around this has to be done with medical and scientific research at the core, so we are looking at the facts and the nuances,' she said.
'And the inclusion of the international federations that have done so much of this work … having a seat at the table and sharing with us because every sport is different.'
While the IOC intends to update its eligibility guidelines, Coventry said any changes would probably not be applied retroactively.
The controversy exploded after Khelif's dominant Olympic debut, when she defeated Italy's Angela Carini in just 46 seconds, leaving Carini in tears. Khelif's performance instantly became one of the biggest stories of the Games and drew reactions from many.
Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting both faced scrutiny because they had been disqualified from the International Boxing Association (IBA) 2023 World Championships for failing gender eligibility tests. But the International Olympic Committee (IOC) later intervened to let them compete.
In February, the IOC defended its decision to overturn the IBA's ban: 'The two female athletes mentioned by the IBA are not transgender athletes,' the IOC said. 'They were born as women, were raised as women, and have competed in the women's category for their entire boxing careers.'
The IOC also criticised the IBA's conduct, calling it 'a sudden and arbitrary decision.'
Khelif, who remains a role model to many in Algeria, said winning the gold medal was the best possible answer to her detractors.
'I am fully qualified to take part,' she declared. 'I am a woman like any other. I was born a woman, lived a woman and competed as a woman.'
The IBA said in February it would sue the IOC for allowing Khelif to compete. In response, Khelif called the accusations 'false and offensive' and pledged to fight back.
'This is a matter that concerns not just me but the broader principles of fairness and due process in sport,' she said.
'I am not going anywhere. I will fight in the ring, I will fight in the courts, and I will fight in the public eye until the truth is undeniable.'