Come Tuesday night, the circus moves across Paris to Roland Garros, the setting for Khelif’s semi-final bout against Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand. Khelif is already guaranteed a bronze but looks ready to fight for gold, fuelled by the international outrage that this episode has unleashed. Among Algerians in all spheres, the wagons are being circled. Ismael Bennacer, a defensive midfielder for AC Milan, took umbrage at an “unjustified wave of hatred”, arguing: “Her presence at the Olympic Games is quite simply the fruit of her talent and hard work.”
It was a message amplified by Abderrahmane Hammad, Algeria’s sports minister, who said: “Imane is our daughter, our sister. Imane is a red line. I strongly condemn the harassment she has suffered. Carry on, Imane – all of Algeria is behind you.” The Algerian Olympic Committee denounced the “false propaganda and immoral behaviour towards our champion”.
The grievances on each side are growing ever more entrenched. It is approaching the point where you wonder how the IOC can possibly hope to temper the crisis. Even when it is pointed out to Bach that biology is all that matters when judging the eligibility of Khelif to fight women, he retreats into the vapid rhetoric that a boxer can be called a woman based on legal documents. His organisation is still inclined to regard womanhood as some abstract concept.
But this is a true flesh-and-blood controversy. Hamori could have contended for a medal and instead leaves with nothing, having lost to a boxer whose very involvement here is disputed. While the authorities remain oblivious, the fires are raging out of control.
