Paris - In a thrilling semifinal match at the Paris Olympics, Imane Khelif, the Algerian female boxer, emerged victorious against Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand, securing her spot in the gold medal fight. The win comes amidst an ongoing global debate over gender eligibility and fairness in women's boxing. Khelif and another female Olympic boxer, Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan, have faced intense scrutiny and false accusations regarding their gender and eligibility to compete with women.

From the moment the match began, fans erupted with excitement, waving the Algerian green, white, and red flag, and chanting "Imane, Imane, Imane!" Khelif demonstrated her elation after the match was called in her favor, joyously dancing around the ring.

Suwannapheng, acknowledging Khelif's victory, confirmed her belief that Khelif is indeed a woman and emphasized that it was a fair fight as both boxers were under the same rules.

Khelif and Lin have been participating in women's boxing events, including the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, without any indication that they identify as transgender or intersex. However, controversy surrounding their gender eligibility arose when they were disqualified by the Russian-led International Boxing Association (IBA) from last year's Women's World Boxing Championships. The association, led by Umar Kremlev, an acquaintance of Vladimir Putin, alleged that the two athletes failed an unspecified gender test, suggesting the presence of male chromosomes. These allegations resurfaced during the Paris Olympics, where Russia has been banned from competing.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), having severed ties with the IBA due to financial and ethical impropriety, has vehemently defended Khelif and Lin's eligibility, citing the women's passport genders as evidence. IOC President Thomas Bach, expressing his frustration with the online hate speech directed towards the athletes, declared during a press conference that the two boxers were born and raised as women, competed as women for many years, and possess passports designating them as female.

Despite repeatedly refuting the accusations about her gender, Khelif has continued to face scrutiny. After her second victory at the Paris Olympics, she tearfully told reporters that she wants to assert to the world that she is indeed a female. Her father also supports her claim, affirming that she has been raised as a girl. Khelif has appealed to the public to refrain from bullying all athletes.

Lin, from Taiwan, expressed gratitude for the support she has received and revealed that she took up boxing as a means to protect her mother from domestic violence.

The IBA's legitimacy has been repeatedly questioned in recent years. Following temporary suspension by the IOC and subsequent disassociation last year, the association faced allegations of financial and ethical impropriety. The IOC spokesperson, Mark Adams, branded the IBA's eligibility tests as flawed and illegitimate during a press conference.

The IBA, however, maintained its decision to disqualify Khelif and Lin from the 2023 competition, claiming that they failed similar eligibility tests during the Women's World Boxing Championships in Istanbul in 2022. Surprisingly, no action was taken against them after the first tests, which reportedly yielded the same results as last year's tests. The timing of the disqualification, which occurred shortly after Khelif's victory against an undefeated Russian boxer, has raised suspicions.

In a perplexing press conference held in Paris on Monday, the IBA's President Kremlev responded to several questions with rambling remarks that criticized the Olympics, comparing it to the biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

As false accusations about Khelif and Lin spread, prominent critics of transgender rights, including Elon Musk and J.K. Rowling, weighed in. However, some individuals who initially criticized the athletes have since apologized as more information about the scrutiny they faced and the controversial history of the IBA emerged.

Khelif will vie for the gold medal on Friday against Chen Nien-chin of Taiwan or Yang Liu of China. Meanwhile, Lin is set to face Turkey's Esra Yıldız Kahraman on Wednesday for a chance to advance to the women's 57-kilogram gold medal round on Saturday.