“Pure Hatred”: Dawn Staley Sympathises With Imane Khelif as USC Coach Sheds Light on Paris Olympics’ Controversy

Victory often tastes fine for athletes but that was not the case for Algeria’s female boxer Imane Khelif. One might expect people to appreciate Algeria’s female boxer Imane Khelif for her powerful punches, but rather than being applauded, Khelif had to sit through accusations. While the harsh comments directed at Khelif didn’t rest, some eminent personalities have come forward to show their support for the Algerian boxer.

Now, legendary head coach Dawn Staley has penned sympathetic words for Khelif who has been the recipient of plenty of unpleasant words in the last 24 hours. Dawn Staley replied to a post that suggested that the world owes an apology to Khelif. Staley wrote, “They also need to pray and be prayed for because…..the way their lives are set up pure hatred. 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾” 

It was all chaos at the Olympics yesterday with a major controversy breaking out after a boxing match. Not just this, the entirety of Olympic authorities was put under scrutiny yesterday. When Khelif’s punches forced Italy’s Angela Carini to withdraw within a minute from the ring, Khelif was exposed to accusations of misgendering for knocking out her opponent too fast in the boxing bout. Not once did anyone try to dig in before calling Khelif’s participation unfair, which led to harsh comments directed towards the Algerian boxer.

Moving on, the Italian boxer, Angela Carini, who chose to walk off after facing Khelif for 46 seconds also expressed her disappointment towards the controversies. She had an apology note for Khelif and everyone. “I’m sorry for my opponent, too. If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision.” She also stated that she didn’t intend to walk off without shaking hands with Khelif. “Actually, I want to apologise to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke,” she added.

Now, the whole picture has got even better clarity as the IOC has made an official statement on the sparked controversy. “The Algerian boxer was born female, was registered female, lived her life as a female, boxed as a female, has a female passport,” said IOC spokesperson Mark Adams.

However, the world that declared Khelif a male had a story to look at, which acted as fuel for their alleged claims over the boxer.

Imane Khelif’s disqualification from the 2023 World Championship

Khelif’s participation was called unfair by everyone considering her disqualification from the 2023 World Championship. Khelif along with Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-Ting, failed a gender eligibility test conducted by the International Boxing Association, a body that is no longer recognized of the international federation of boxing. However, the IOC didn’t see that decision as logical and rather considered it “sudden and arbitrary”.

Prior to this 2023 World Championship, the Algerian boxer even competed in the Tokyo Olympics 2021 but returned without a medal. 

Khelif didn’t catch anyone’s eyes back then in 2021, but now Carini’s walking off within a minute has put the Algerian under serious allegations. Whatever the case, if someone is least accountable for anything in this controversy, it must be Imane Khelif. But, unfortunately, it’s her plight that she is the one facing most of the harsh comments and hatred all over the globe.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us in the exciting pilot episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and SEC All-Freshman Team Selection, Silas Demary Jr.