The attacks against the Algerian boxer reflect not just the West’s distorted notions of race and womanhood, but also its dark imperialist past and present.

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif appears determined not to be browbeaten by the global controversy over her gender, defeating Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng on Wednesday to cruise to the gold medal bout at the Paris Olympics.

Khelif exploded into the global spotlight when her Italian opponent Angela Carini withdrew just 46 seconds into their match. Carini promptly burst into tears, citing a punch to the nose harder than she had ever experienced in her life.

After it was reported that the International Boxing Association, which is not recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), had disqualified Khelif along with Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu‑ting from last year’s world championships for failing an unspecified gender test, the accusations that both of them are male ignited.

I won’t speculate on Carini’s intentions as to whether she was deliberately presenting herself as a victim and Khelif as a male usurper. Carini claims she was simply upset at losing and was not making a political point, and later apologised to Khelif. Regardless, the damage was already done.

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