Anna Luca Hamori breaks silence on Imane Khelif gender row after Olympics 2024 quarter-final showdown
HUNGARY’S Anna Luca Hamori gracefully wished Imane Khelif good luck following her unanimous decision defeat to the Algerian in their quarter-final bout at the Olympic Games.
Khelif, 25, has been at the centre of a row over gender eligibility following her 46-second victory over Italy’s Angela Carini on Thursday.
Khelif was disqualified from last year’s world championships for elevated levels of testosterone.
But she has been allowed to compete in Paris and booked her place in the 66kg semi-finals with a points victory over Hamori, 23.
She dominated the contest and got the nod from the judges despite being docked a point in the final round.
It means she will walk away with a medal and remains in contention to become Olympic champion.
And Hamori had her say about the controversy surrounding Khelif after their fight.
She said: “I think it was a good fight. I’m so proud of myself and I’m so grateful to be here. This was a very good competition for me.
“That was my childhood dream [the Olympics], so I’m so happy. And I wish good luck to my opponents and the others in the finals.
“I’m so thankful for my coaches, for the Hungarian team, and for my family and for everybody who gave me some support. Thank you so much everyone.”
Olympics gender controversy
THE International Olympic Committee (IOC) stirred up a huge controversy by clearing two women to box who had previously failed a gender test.
Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting were disqualified at the Women’s World Championships in New Delhi, India, in March 2023.
Lin Yu-ting was stripped of a bronze medal after failing a gender eligibility test.
Khelif was disqualified in New Delhi for failing a testosterone level test.
Officials found tests showed they had ‘XY chromosomes’ — which indicates a person is biologically male.
Rare ‘intersex’ medical conditions, medically known as differences in sexual development (DSDs), can also mean outwardly female individuals can have ‘male’ chromosomes, or vice versa.
The Russia-led International Boxing Association organised that event but is no longer recognised by the IOC.
IOC spokesman Mark Adams said: “These athletes have competed many times before for many years, they haven’t just suddenly arrived – they competed in Tokyo.
“The federation needs to make the rules to make sure that there is fairness but at the same time there is the ability for everyone to take part that wants to. That is a difficult balance.
“In the end the experts for each sport are the people who work in that. If there is a big advantage that clearly is not acceptable, but that needs to be a decision made at that level.”
Both Khelif and Lin competed at the delayed Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021. Lin is a two-time winner at the Asian Women Amateur Boxing Championships.
The IOC said all boxers in Paris “comply with the competition’s eligibility and entry regulations”.
The controversy follows the famous case of Caster Semenya.
South African middle-distance runner Semenya has a condition which means her body naturally produces higher levels of testosterone than normal for women.
She won gold in the 800m at London 2012 and Rio in 2016 but was unable to compete at Tokyo in 2021 after World Athletics brought in new rules independently of the IOC at the time.
Ahead of the fight, Hamori had said: “I don’t care about the press story. If she or he is a man, it will be a bigger victory for me if I win.
“I’m trying to not use my phone before the fight. I don’t want to care about the comments or the story or the news. I just want to stay focused on myself.
“I did it before my last two fights, so I think this is the key, and we will see.”
Khelifwill will now face Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng on Tuesday for a place in Friday’s final.