"May no one be criticized like me (at the Olympics)..."
Roland Garros Stadium in Paris, France, on the 10th (Korea time) when the women's 66kg boxing final at the 2024 Paris Olympics was held. In the audience, "Caliph! Caliph!"The chants of " continued. It was a shout of support for Algerian women's boxer Imane Caliph (25) who is considered the biggest talker at the Paris Olympics. There was a heated debate over 'It's a woman, it's not', but fans on the scene cheered for the caliph. In the end, the caliph seemed to admit that he was not using expediency, but rather fighting prejudice.
The caliph won the final match against China's Yangryu 5-0 by all judges. After all, the caliph with the gold medal around his neck "I'm well qualified for the Olympics. Like other women, she was born as a woman and has lived as a woman. I've talked about my gender many times"I used the criticism of others as a driving force. Thanks to them, I'm even more happy to win the gold medal."
Caliph was disqualified by the International Boxing Association (IBA) for participating in the World Championships early last year. This is because gender tests conducted arbitrarily by IBA showed that they had 'XY chromosome'. In general, this refers to sex chromosomes of 'male'. Based on this, the IBA stipulated that caliphs should not compete in women's boxing matches.
However, the International Olympic Committee's decision was different. The IOC allowed the caliphate to participate, saying it `discusses gender based on passport.' The objectivity and fairness of the IBA's test on the caliph were questioned. In addition, it was important that the caliph was born and raised as a woman and continued to compete in women's boxing matches.
In fact, they have the XY chromosome like caliphs, but there are many cases where they were born and raised as women. Athletes from this background are sometimes referred to as 'Differences of Scientific Development (DSD) athletes'. The IOC's decision to allow the caliphate to participate was also acknowledged.
In the end, the caliphate won the gold medal amid controversy. After winning the gold medal, he said in an official press conference "What I want to say is that everyone should abide by the Olympic spirit and not slander others. I hope no one will be criticized like me at the Olympics in the future."
The accusation that the `man entered the women's boxing match' directed at the caliphate was simply based on 'XY chromosome' without considering the exact factual relationship. This is the logic put forward by the IBA. The caliph said "The criticism on social media was very unjust, and even human dignity was harmed. But now people will think differently.' The caliph received a lot of support and applause on the spot.
