Sean Strickland, Jake Paul, and others react to Imane Khelif's controversial participation at Paris Olympics

Imane Khelif has been the focal point of significant controversy over the past few days. Khelif was disqualified from the 2023 Women's World Boxing Championships in New Delhi by the International Boxing Association (IBA) for reportedly failing a DNA test.

Nevertheless, she was cleared to compete in the Paris Olympics. She recently beat Italy's Angela Carini, who abandoned the bout 46 seconds after the opening bell after absorbing a few brisk punches. As a result, numerous combat sports personalities have now shared their reactions to the Algerian's Olympic participation and win over Carini.

Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland reacted to footage of Khelif's last bout and wrote in an X post:

"Such an utter disgrace. This is a man, a mentally ill man beating up women. There are 2 genders and that is a man. Never accept this woke corporate agenda. Harley Davidson would be proud, one of many companies who support this financially and ideologically."

In another X post, Strickland expanded on his take and blamed the Olympics for not making their testing more trustworthy:

"Here's the facts. The Olympics didn't test this boxer for political reasons. This boxer has failed a gender test in the past. The boxer may be intersex. This situation was created because the Olympics failed their athletes and their fans out of political wokeness."

Jake Paul also chimed in on the controversy and wrote:

"This is sickening. This is a travesty. Doesn't matter what you believe. This is wrong and dangerous."

Check out some more reactions below:

Screenshots from respective X handles

UFC star Marlon Vera also shared his two cents on the matter and wrote in an X post:

"Not right. Not acceptable. Disgusting."

Controversial influencer Andrew Tate resorted to sarcasm and stated:

"This is sexist. Women can do anything men can do. You're a piece of sh*t misogynist."

Check out some more reactions below:

Screenshots from respective X handles

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Algeria defends Imane Khelif in wake of gender eligibility controversy at Paris Olympics

Algeria recently fired back at critics of Imane Khelif in an official statement. It claimed that the 25-year-old had been made the target of a calculated attack fueled by "baseless propaganda" by the media.

In a statement dismissing the widespread narratives surrounding Khelif's gender, Alegria's Olympic Committee (COA) wrote:

"COA strongly condemns the unethical targeting and maligning of our esteemed athlete, Imane Khelif, with baseless propaganda from certain foreign media outlets. Such attacks on her personality and dignity are deeply unfair, especially as she prepares for the pinnacle of her career at the Olympics. The COA has taken all necessary measures to protect our champion." [H/t: Reuters]

Given that Khelif hasn't identified as intersex or transgender publicly, per NBC, she's found significant support from her compatriots and other fans who have taken to social media to shed light on her unique condition.