Imane Khelif set to turn over as a professional after winning Olympic gold medal amid gender row

Imane Khelif has announced she intends to turn over as a professional after winning gold at the 2024 Olympic Games.

The Algerian boxer was at the centre of a gender row all by the Paris Games alongside Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting after each ladies failed unspecified gender eligibility assessments at the World Championships last year, carried out by the International Boxing Association (IBA).

IBA president Umar Kremlev claimed DNA assessments proved each boxers had ‘XY chromosomes and were thus excluded from the sports activities events’.

A statement from the IBA said the pair ‘did no longer undergo a testosterone examination, but were subject to a separate and recognised take a look at, whereby the specifics remain confidential’.

The IBA was stripped of its world governing physique status after Rio 2016 due to issues with its finances, governance and ethics.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) took over the working of Olympic boxing in their place and has disputed the validity of the IBA’s assessments.

Khelif and Lin are each registered as female on their delivery certificates but the confusion and misinformation around the assessments led to waves of abuse.

Despite this, Khelif blocked out the noise and defeated China’s Yang Liu to scoop welterweight gold.

Now, she intends to take the next colossal step in her career by coming into the paid ranks.

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, she said: “I would like to hold a press conference today to share with you my success story with the media family and young women who watch me.

“There is a documentary being prepared about my success story and this can be shown on international platforms.

“I may rapidly enter the sector of professional boxing, I have many presents.

“At the moment, I have no longer made up my thoughts about the place I may enter professional boxing.

“But very soon I will take this step, we as Algerians would like to see our level in the field of professionalism.”

In August, Khelif filed a cyberbullying lawsuit after being targeted on social media.

“Mrs Khelif contacted the firm, which filed a complaint yesterday for aggravated cyber harassment with the online hate centre of the Paris prosecutor’s place of work,” said her lawyer Nabil Boudi.

“The criminal investigation will prefer who initiated this misogynistic, racist and sexist campaign, but will also have to concentrate on these who fuelled this digital lynching.

“The unfair harassment suffered by the boxing champion will remain the biggest stain of these Olympic Games.”

Her lawyer later confirmed that J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk were among those named in the lawsuit.