Imane Khelif secures medal Algeria at Paris Olympics; calls for end to bullying amid gender row

Olympic boxer Imane Khelif said the wave of hateful scrutiny she has faced over misconceptions about her gender "harms human dignity," and she called for an end to bullying athletes after being greatly affected by the international backlash against her.

The Algerian athlete spoke about her tumultuous Olympic experience on Sunday night in an interview with SNTV, a sports video partner of The Associated Press.

The victories of Khelif and fellow boxer Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan in the ring in Paris have become one of the biggest stories of the Paris Olympic Games.

Both women have secured their first Olympic medals even as they have faced online abuse based on unsubstantiated claims about their gender, drawing them into a wider divide over changing attitudes toward gender identity and regulations in sports.

The abuse stems from claims by the International Boxing Association, which has been permanently banned from the Olympics, that both Khelif and Lin failed unspecified eligibility tests for the women's competition at last year's world championships.

Khelif expressed gratitude to the International Olympic Committee and its president, Thomas Bach, for standing resolutely behind her while the banned former governing body of Olympic boxing stoked a furore around her participation in Paris.

Khelif's next bout in Paris is tonight, against Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand. If Khelif wins again, she will fight for a gold medal on Friday.