Imane Khelif’s Father Says ‘Having Such a Daughter Is an Honor’ amid Olympic Controversy

The father of Olympian boxer Imane Khelif is speaking out about the controversy surrounding his daughter at the 2024 Paris Summer Games.

On Saturday, Aug. 3, the boxer’s dad Amar Khelif opened up in an interview with Reuters about his daughter’s passion for boxing — and said that her recent streak of wins that have guaranteed her at least a bronze have made him proud.

“Having such a daughter is an honor because she is a champion, she honored me and I encourage her and I hope she will get the medal in Paris,” Amar told Reuters. “Imane is a little girl that has loved sport since she was six-years-old.”

While speaking to the outlet, Khelif’s father also shared an official-looking document, which showed her birthday and sex. “This is our family official document, May 2, 1999, Imane Khelif, female. It is written here you can read it, this document doesn’t lie,” he said.

Khelif has been the center of a gender-based controversy following her match on Thursday, Aug. 1, against Italian boxer Angela Carini, who bowed out of her match against Khelif, citing a severe nose injury.

Following the match, the Algerian boxer’s critics argued that she should not have competed at the Olympics after being disqualified from the 2023 boxing world championships due to failing an unspecified gender eligibility test from the International Boxing Association (IBA), according to a report from the Associated Press.

The IBA claimed at the time that the results of the eligibility test showed that Khelif had elevated levels of testosterone, but other officials in the boxing world argued that the test results were not transparent, and the IBA has since been suspended from being part of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) due to allegations of corruption, according to ESPN.

The IOC has since reaffirmed its decision to allow Khelif to compete in the games. According to the AP, “Khelif was assigned female at birth and it says so on her passport, which is the International Olympic Committee’s threshold for eligibility for boxing.”

Khelif has previously been candid about how close she is with her family, and has said they have been influential in her boxing career. In an interview on Sunday, Aug. 4 with SNTV, a sports video partner of the Associated Press, she spoke about staying connected with them while she is competing in Paris during the Olympics.

“I am in contact with my family two days a week. I hope that they weren’t affected deeply,” the boxer said, acknowledging her recent controversies. “They are worried about me. God willing, this crisis will culminate in a gold medal, and that would be the best response,” she continued, according to the Associated Press, sharing her appreciation for the Olympic Committee for doing her “justice.”

Khelif is next set to compete in the semifinals on Tuesday, Aug. 6 against Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand.