Boxers Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-Ting of Taiwan have been facing a lot of backlash in the 2024 Paris Olympics because they were allowed to participate despite their gender misconceptions. However, even if Khalif is getting recognized for the wrong reasons, she has far more achievements that are being overlooked due to the controversy. From facing bullying, to convincing her family about her love for combat sports, the fight was endless.

However, she was determined and fulfilled her dreams to become one of the strongest boxers in the world. She became the first female boxer from Algeria to represent the country in the Olympics. These are just very few of her achievements and instead of the recent events, it is imperative to know about her family and background also. So let’s dive deep into her childhood and how she was brought up by her parents.

Who are Imane Khelif’s parents? What did they say about the recent controversy?

Khelif was born on 2nd May 1999 in Aïn Sidi Ali, a small Algerian town in Laghouat. She is the youngest member of her family. Her father, Omar Khelif works in the oil industry as a welder, and her mother is a homemaker. She was always athletic even as a child and used to play soccer with the boys in her neighborhood. Khelif always dreamt of being an athlete and a footballer however her dreams were almost shattered because, in the orthodox town where she grew up, football was a game for men. She was expected to help with household chores because she was born as a girl. However, Khelif was strong and was not going to back down easily. She even defended herself sometimes by using her fists just like a boxer and implored her father to let her practice combat sports.

However, it was not as simple for her as it was for others. Her family could not generally afford the bus fare to the gym, which was 10 km away from the house. So to fulfill her dream and help out her family, she used to sell bread and couscous along with scrapped metal parts to get some money. Once she moved to Tiaret, the home of boxers like Moulay Mehdi Sahraoui, her talent was finally recognized by her physical exercise teachers. With proper practice and motivation, she started to become a well-recognized athlete in combat sports.

She competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and showed her skills on stage. Her participation was a huge milestone not only for Algeria but for women in boxing. Even though she did not win a medal, but her performance made her a huge name in the boxing community. She had eyes for the Paris Olympics in 2024 and trained vigorously for it and finally got the chance to compete and secured a bronze medal making her the first Algerian woman boxer to win an Olympic medal since 2000.

However, it did not come without more hurdles through controversy. She was at the center of gender-based controversy on August 1 2024 following a match against Italian boxer Angela Carini. Her opponent bowed out of the match citing an injured nose. This caused a huge uproar among the critics and even some celebrities who thought that she should not have been allowed to play. Khelif was banned from the 2023 boxing world championships because she failed an unspecified,  gender eligibility test from the International Boxing Association (IBA), according to a report from the Associated Press.

The controversy has taken a bigger height, and now even her parents have responded to it. Her father spoke to Reuters and protected his daughter as much as he could. He said, “Having such a daughter is an honor because she is a champion, she honored me and I encourage her and I hope she will get the medal in Paris. Imane is a little girl who has loved sport since she was six years old.” He even went so far as to show her official birth certificate to prove that she was a female.

The IBA claimed that she failed the test because she had elevated levels of testosterone. However, according to ESPN, the officials in the boxing world argued that the test was not transparent, and since then IOC has banned IBA and allowed Khelif to participate in the Paris Olympics. They said, “Khelif was assigned female at birth and it says so on her passport, which is the International Olympic Committee’s threshold for eligibility for boxing.”

Truly, she is not only facing extreme hurdles but making history for her country and inspiring young girls in her country to achieve their dreams. On that note, let’s see more about her early life.

How many siblings does Imane Khelif have? More about her early life

Not much is known about her siblings, but it is clear that she grew up in a modest household, and worked very hard to achieve her dreams. Even now, at 25 years of age, she’s having to face hurdles and prove herself. She has become an Olympic medallist in 2024 in the Paris Olympics. She won in the welterweight division via a unanimous decision against Hungarian Anna Luca Hamori in 2024, ensuring at least a Bronze medal in the 66kg category.

The fans of the boxing star were as affected as she was by this controversy and even dug up her childhood pictures from the archives. Many fans on X/Twitter gave a picture of hers from her childhood where she is visible as a female. She was steadfast in her dreams and fought stereotypes that women face and even her poverty to be where she is today.

Khelif was eventually noticed by Algeria’s national team making her have a huge debut in 2018 with the first-round loss at AIBA. However, after that, she has only improved and today, she is an Olympic bronze medallist. So, what do you think of her struggles and perseverance?