Imane Khelif wants to defend Olympic gold medal at LA 2028

Imane Khelif, Olympic gold medal winner at welterweight in Paris, has confirmed she wants to defend her title at Los Angeles 2028.

For the longest time, Imane Khelif has served as one of the most divisive figures in boxing. One of the reasons for that is because during the Paris Olympics, misinformation spread online that implied she was a male, not a female. Many critics were forced to withdraw their criticism, mainly because no medical evidence that she has XY chromosomes or elevated levels of testosterone has been published.

Recently, US president Donald Trump called Imane Khelif a male boxer after he signed an executive order banning transgender women from female sports in the United States.

Now, Imane Khelif has responded, and also made it clear she’s ready to compete in LA.

Imane Khelif is defiant

“I will give you a straightforward answer, I am not transgender,” Khelif told ITV in an interview aired on Tuesday.

“This does not concern me, and it does not intimidate me.”

“Second gold medal, of course. In America, Los Angeles … I [will] defend with everything this gold medal,” Khelif said in the interview.

“I believe that if the old Imane operated at 50 percent of her potential, then the Imane Khelif of today is even more motivated and determined.”

“At this point, I can say that the IBA is a thing of the past,” Khelif said. “As we say in Algeria, those who have nothing to hide should have no fear.”

“I hope the next president of the IOC leads with true sportsmanship, stays committed to Olympic principles, and upholds the values of fair play,” Khelif said.

Quotes via Al Jazeera

So many people around the world are behind Imane Khelif and for those who aren’t, it’s time to realize that she’s going to have a big impact on the sport for many years to come.