Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif says she’s “not going anywhere” after legal action was launched against the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for allowing her to compete.
On Monday, the International Boxing Association (IBA) said it had filed a complaint with the Swiss Attorney General citing safety concerns over gender eligibility.
Khelif, who competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and who is also a World Championship silver medallist, has always insisted she is eligible for the women’s competition.
In a rare statement on social media, Khelif said the IBA had “again made baseless accusations that are false and offensive”.
“For two years, I have taken the high road while my name and image have been used, unauthorised, to further personal and political agendas through the spreading and dissemination of baseless lies and misinformation,” she added.
“But silence is no longer an option.
“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.”
The Algerian, 25, won women’s welterweight gold in Paris at the Paris Olympics, a year after being disqualified from the World Championships for reportedly failing gender eligibility tests.
The tests were conducted by the Russian-led IBA, who were later stripped of their world governing body status by the IOC over integrity and governance issues.
At the time the IBA said Khelif “failed to meet the eligibility criteria for participating in women’s competition”.
The IOC questioned the legitimacy and credibility of the IBA’s tests, saying they could not be relied upon.
The IOC was responsible for running the boxing competition at the Paris Olympics.
Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, who was also banned by the IBA, were both cleared to compete at the Olympics by the IOC.
The pair’s gold medals overshadowed boxing at Paris and attracted scrutiny and criticism from around the world.
Khelif said her team was now reviewing the situation and would take legal action to protect her rights.
The IOC has said the IBA statement was “just another example of the IBA’s campaign against the IOC”.
Switzerland’s Attorney General’s office confirmed it had received the IBA’s complaint.
