HomeSportOlympic gold medalist Imane Khelif celebrated in hometown Tiaret after success

Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif celebrated in hometown Tiaret after success

**Imane Khelif Celebrated in Her Hometown Tiaret Following Olympic Success**

**TIARET, Algeria** – With an impressive reception from fans who welcomed her in her hometown on Friday, Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif praised Algeria for its support of its athletes and expressed hope of making her country proud again in the future. The football-enthusiastic North African nation has treated Khelif like a celebrity since she returned to Algiers earlier this week. However, the most significant celebration took place in Tiaret, a rural region in central Algeria where she grew up and learned to box.

Khelif and track star Djamel Sedjati were honored by local leaders and paraded through the streets on a city bus, while hundreds of residents raised their hands and took pictures. “All Algerian men and women have the right to be happy and celebrate,” she told reporters on Friday at a local government office. “This proves that the government and the people support sports.”

Algerians stood united in defending Khelif as she advanced through the Olympics amidst international attention and unfounded speculation about her gender. Despite being born and raised as a woman, she found herself at the heart of a debate surrounding gender, sex, and sports after failing unclear eligibility tests for women’s competitions imposed by the now-banned International Boxing Association in 2023.

Many Algerians viewed the controversy as an attack on their nation, especially as prominent figures like billionaire Elon Musk, author J.K. Rowling, and former President Donald Trump referred to her as a man in online posts. On Friday, residents of Tiaret acknowledged the challenges Khelif faced during the Olympics and expressed hope that her success was just the beginning.

“We hope that the authorities will support her in moments of victory like this as well as throughout the year. She has suffered tremendously and started from scratch,” said Mohamed Hamou, who sat alongside Khelif in Tiaret on Friday afternoon.

Later at the parade, Nadjia Fehma, another Tiaret resident, praised Khelif’s achievements, stating that she is an inspiration. “She has made us truly proud, especially considering her career path and how she has ended up succeeding,” said Fehma.

Khelif’s warm welcome home came just days after she filed a criminal complaint for cyber harassment in France, claiming that she was the target of a “misogynistic, racist, and sexist campaign” during the Olympics. On Wednesday, Khelif acknowledged the difficulties and fears she experienced during an interview with El Bilad, a private television channel in Algeria. She stated that no one has the right to question her gender and emphasized her disinterest in mixing politics with sports. “Why was there so much uproar around the world?” she wondered. “I was scared, but fortunately, I was able to overcome it.”

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