Imane Khelif and the politics of gender and sport

It has become the story of the Paris Olympics. How many people have been harmed, in the case of Algerian boxer Imane Khelif? And how badly?

Over the last week, the 25 year old boxer’s body, mind and spirit have been dissected and condemned by powerful voices, far beyond the sporting arena. Donald Trump, JK Rowling and Italian prime minister Giorgio Meloni have, variously, said that Khelif is a man who enjoyed the “distress” of watching her Italian rival crumple to the ground of the boxing ring after only 45 seconds. That Khelif has no business competing in the Olympics against women.

But Imane Khelif is not a man. She is a woman, who has always identified as female.

Today, reporting from the Paris Games, chief reporter Jordan Baker on the sporting and geopolitical conflicts that have led to one female athlete falling into the global spotlight. And what it says about those of us watching on.

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