France has closed the Olympic page “Paris 2024”, but the sporting event has raised many questions whose answers remain open . Games often left the confines of gymnasiums and fields to be “played” in social networks, and political and social topics were commented on more than sports. The name of Iman Khalif did not leave anyone indifferent, but the world would hardly know the Algerian boxer only because of the gold medal, if it were not for the controversies surrounding her gender. Petya Zheleva tells the “French” story of the most commented female boxer.
Donald Trump, Elon Musk and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have set the tone for Iman Khalifa's gender controversy to make her one of the most talked about sports personalities on the planet.
Literally in hours, the followers of the boxer in social networks exceeded 2,000,000 people. In his native Algeria, Iman became a national hero. UNICEF made her its ambassador, and for many people around the world she became the face of the fight against discrimination and injustice.
Who is the man who led Iman to gold in Paris? Where does the controversy about her gender come from? And what does the French doctor who is doing the medical tests of the boxer say? Iman's manager - Naser Yefsa, spoke especially for NOVA.
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Nasser, when and how did you meet Iman?
- I met Iman 2 years ago during the Mediterranean Games in Oran, Algeria. I saw her for the first time during the quarter final battles.
What was your first impression when you saw her?
- I immediately saw that this is a girl with great potential for a medal at the Olympic Games. I called a friend in France to tell him about Iman. He said he knew her trainer, Mohamed Chaua, and asked to arrange a meeting. Mohamed told me that Iman is part of the Algerian national team, but her level is much higher than the other girls and she cannot progress. I suggested to him that we present a project and if it is accepted, we take Iman abroad to perfect her technique and tactics. That was the beginning.
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At the time when you were dating, was there already controversy surrounding Iman's gender?
– No, no, none. I had never heard of her.
Nasser, how can we explain the physical advantages that Iman has compared to other female boxers?
- Very simply, she lived in very harsh conditions. She grew up in a mountain town, at a high altitude, where there is nothing. They had no electricity or water. Each thing required intense physical effort.
Iman is a real man. Can we call her that?
- I wouldn't say. Iman was never asked whether she was a girl or a boy. She was born a girl.
And how is she perceived?
- Like a girl. She acts like a girl. True, she doesn't wear make-up, because as I explained to you, she lived in a place where girls usually don't wear make-up. She doesn't care much about her appearance, her hair, and that's probably why they say she's masculine.
After they start working together, Nasser learns that months earlier, at the World Championships in Istanbul, the International Boxing Association had gender tested Imen. He claims that there is no information and results from them. A year later, in March 2023, the Algerian participated in the World Cup in New Delhi, again undergoing gender tests. She fights successfully, reaches the final, and the night before she is disqualified, she receives a surprise visit at the hotel.
„Members of the International Boxing Association go to Iman's hotel, they called her to come down from the room and told her that they have the results of the tests, but to get them she has to sign a document, in English. She signed automatically without thinking, but it turns out that she actually agreed to be replaced in the final by the Chinese boxer, who wins in the semi-final, because she is not allowed to box,” Jefsa also said.
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Has anyone seen the results of these tests?
- Nobody. I personally, as a manager, have not seen them. She then returned to Algeria. He didn't go out, he cried in his room. No one understood her problem. Nobody knew what to do. In that sense, she was abandoned. I returned to France and started looking for the best professors in the field of endocrinology. I managed to find an appointment, called Iman who was really depressed. I brought her here to Nice. To motivate her, we started training. Then we went to Paris to do the testosterone tests, chromosome test, x-ray, nuclear magnetic resonance and came back here again for the preparation.
What was the result of the research?
- I remember it like it was today. We explained the whole story with Iman to the professor who examined her. He asked me to come out to examine her. After 5-10 minutes, he called me and said the following to Iman: “You are a woman with an anomaly who is being treated! You are neither the first nor the last. I have 2000 cases like yours”. She never did anything to change her gender.
After all these tests you did, why didn't the International Boxing Association change its mind on Iman's case?
- Because we were in conflict with them. After New Delhi we hired lawyers and attacked them in court.
What future will Iman choose after the medal?
It continues to have many detractors, but it is also supported by millions of people around the world. It has a great future. Her story should be told in a movie.