Boxer Imane Khelif Not Intimidated By Donald Trump Regarding Transgender Issues

Imane Khelif did not heed Donald Trump's statement regarding the transgender issue (Instagram/@imane_khelif_10).

JAKARTA Female boxer Imane Khelif was not intimidated by Donald Trump and determined to defend the Olympic gold medal in 2028 in Los Angeles, United States.

Amid controversy during the 2024 Paris Olympics, Trump was one of several people who participated in accusing Khelif of being a transgender athlete with Elon Musk and novelist JK Rowling.

In a recent interview with ITV News, Khhelif spoke up regarding the allegations and Trump's decision to sign an executive order banned transgender athletes from competing in women's sports.

"I will give a straightforward answer. The President of the United States (Donald Trump) issued a decision regarding transgender policy in the United States."

"I'm not transgender. This doesn't matter to me and doesn't scare me."

"I see myself as a girl, just like any other girl. I was born a girl, raised as a girl, and lived my whole life as a girl."

"I have participated in many tournaments, including the Tokyo Olympics and other major competitions, as well as four Boxing World Championships," he said.

The 25-year-old boxer won a welterweight gold medal amid controversy and great media attention while competing in Paris.

The same thing was received by athlete Lin Yu Ting from China Taipei who won the gold medal in the featherweight.

Both became the center of attention during the four-year event after the emergence of questions about gender feasibility. Khelif and Lin were accused of being transgender athletes, but the reality is the opposite.

They were allowed to box in Paris by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after being declared ineligible to take part in the World Championships of the International Boxing Association (IBA) in 2023 for reasons unclear.

The problem in Paris led Khelif, who filed a lawsuit related to social media harassment in August 2025, to include the names Musk and Rowling, is deeply affected mentally.

According to reports, the massive media campaign aimed at her even made her mother have to be hospitalized almost every day because she bears the burden of the allegations.

"As we said in Algeria, those who have nothing to hide need not be afraid."

"The truth became clear at the Paris Olympics. Injustice was revealed and then the truth was recognized by the IOC in Paris," said Khelif.

The boxing sport (sports) has received the green light to take part in the 2028 Olympics after recommendations from the IOC Executive Board emerged.

Boxing was initially not part of the Los Angeles 2028 program when it was announced in 2022. However, last month World Boxing received temporary recognition as an international regulatory body for the sport.

The formation of the new global body is the biggest obstacle for the inclusion of boxing in the next Olympics. The agency was formed in April 2023 and now has 84 members on five continents.

The IOC has been boxing in the last two Olympics after IBA was suspended as a boxing sports governing body in 2019 due to governance, finance, referees, and ethics issues.

The IBA led by Russia was later revoked in June 2023 for failing to carry out reforms. The dispute between IBA and the IOC then heated up during the 2024 Paris Olympics over the issue of Khhelif and Lin.