Gender row engulfs Olympic boxing after fighter Khelif’s quick win

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif’s quick defeat of her Italian opponent at the Paris Olympics on Thursday sparked a row about gender eligibility rules at the Games. The dispute comes after Khelif was disqualified from the 2023 world championships over failing to meet “criteria for participating in the women’s competition”. Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni quickly criticised the decision to allow Khelif to compete in Paris, while Algeria’s Olympic Committee condemned what it called “malicious attacks” against the boxer.