The case of the “Algerian boxer Khelif”: Entry into the conflict of Donald Trump, Elon Musk and the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgia Meloni

HIBAPRESS-RABAT-Agencies

“The Algerian boxer Imane Khelif” has once again raised an outcry, this time from Donald Trump and the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgia Meloni, whose fellow boxer Angela Carini had forfeited the match against “the Algerian” after just 46 seconds of confrontation in the round of 16 after a direct punch to the face from “the Algerian” in Villepinte, north of Paris:

“I went into the ring to fight. I didn’t surrender but one punch hurt too much and I shouted ‘Enough is enough’. I’m no one to judge or make a decision, if this woman is here, there is a reason.”

As a reminder, Imane Khelif was admitted to the tournament by the IOC

The reaction of the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was not long in coming to react quickly on her X account: “a fight that was not on an equal footing”, adding that she did not “agree with the IOC” and it quickly became a political affair!

The debate has also been integrated into the presidential campaign in the United States, where several Republican officials have referred to “the Algerian” as a man. “I will keep men out of women’s sports!” wrote Donald Trump in capital letters on his Truth Social network. In the caption of images of the fight, a user on the X network wrote that the Democratic candidate “Kamala Harris supports this.” “True. Or she denies it,” added billionaire Elon Musk, supporting Donald Trump.

By accepting Imane Khelif’s participation in the women’s boxing events, the IOC has taken the opposite position to that of the International Boxing Federation (IBA), which had excluded her from the World Championships in New Delhi in March 2023 after she failed to meet the eligibility tests for participation in the women’s category, then disqualified her due to “high testosterone levels”.