Imane Khelif set to turn over as a professional after winning Olympic gold medal amid gender row

Imane Khelif has announced she intends to turn over as a professional after winning gold at the 2024 Olympic Games.

The Algerian boxer was at the centre of a gender row during the Paris Games alongside Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting after both women failed unspecified gender eligibility tests at the World Championships last year, carried out by the International Boxing Association (IBA).

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IBA president Umar Kremlev claimed DNA tests proved both boxers had ‘XY chromosomes and were thus excluded from the sports events’.

A statement from the IBA said the pair ‘did not undergo a testosterone examination, but were subject to a separate and recognised test, whereby the specifics remain confidential’.

The IBA was stripped of its world governing body status after Rio 2016 due to issues with its finances, governance and ethics.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) took over the running of Olympic boxing in their place and has disputed the validity of the IBA’s tests.

Khelif and Lin are both registered as female on their birth certificates yet the confusion and misinformation around the tests led to waves of abuse.

In spite of this, Khelif blocked out the noise and defeated China’s Yang Liu to scoop welterweight gold.

Now, she intends to take the next big step in her career by entering the paid ranks.

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, she said: “I would like to hold a press conference today to share with you my success story with the media family and young women who watch me.

“There is a documentary being prepared about my success story and it will be shown on international platforms.

“I will soon enter the world of professional boxing, I have many offers.

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“Currently, I have not made up my mind about where I will enter professional boxing.

“But very soon I will take this step, we as Algerians would like to see our level in the field of professionalism.”

In August, Khelif filed a cyberbullying lawsuit after being targeted on social media.

“Mrs Khelif contacted the firm, which filed a complaint yesterday for aggravated cyber harassment with the online hate centre of the Paris prosecutor’s office,” said her lawyer Nabil Boudi.

“The criminal investigation will determine who initiated this misogynistic, racist and sexist campaign, but will also have to focus on those who fuelled this digital lynching.

“The unfair harassment suffered by the boxing champion will remain the biggest stain of these Olympic Games.”

Her lawyer later confirmed that J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk were among those named in the lawsuit.