Paris — Imane Khelif knows how to take a hit. What she never trained for was becoming a political target.
Since her Olympic gold win at the 2024 Paris Games, the Algerian boxer has been subjected to a sustained campaign of abuse and invasive scrutiny, driven by some of the world’s most powerful figures.
Among them is US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly cited her victory to justify restrictions on certain athletes – including, during one of his first acts in office, when he signed the executive order, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.”
Nearly 12 months on, his smear campaign continues. In a January speech to Republican lawmakers, Trump again incorrectly referred to Khelif as a “male boxer,” appearing to cement his support of the Supreme Court’s expected ruling to uphold state-level bans on transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports.