On 8 September, a new post about the Algerian Imane Khelif appeared on social media. According to its content, the boxer was banned from fighting for life, and all medals won and the prize money of $25 million were taken away from her. This entry is an example of classic fake news, i.e. false information presented in the form of a press release.
The post on X is unclear, but the context and the analysis shows that it refers to the 2024 Olympic Games. It has been viewed over 513,000 times and reached 6,000 interactions. The source of this false information is a text from 16 August posted on website that is an aggregator of gossip content. At this point, it is worth paying attention to the address of the source of fake news, i.e. nytimesnews.us, which obviously refers to the American magazine New York Times. A link to this text was found under one of the posts on a popular Facebook page dedicated to boxing, and was referred to, among others, by AAP Factcheck.
False information about Imane Khelif
The medals and the prize
Imane Khelif, representing Algeria, won the gold medal at the 2023 Arab Games in the 66 kg weight category. In 2023, she was disqualified before the gold medal fight at the IBA (International Boxing Association) World Championships. The reason given was failure to meet unspecified medical standards, which led to speculation about her gender. Despite these accusations, in 2024 the International Olympic Committee (IOC) allowed her to participate in the Olympic Games in Paris, where she met all regulatory and medical requirements. The IOC also issued a statement referring to the controversy related to Imane Khelif and Lin Yu Ting. The Algerian boxer won the gold medal in the 66 kg weight category at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. In the final, she faced Yang Liu from China, and won the fight by unanimous decision of the judges (5:0). The fight took place on 9 August at the famous Roland Garros stadium.
Not a single official or reliable source confirms that Imane Khelif was deprived of the Olympic medal. There is no statement, announcement or even comment on the IBA website regarding the medals or prize money. The boxer remains in the official Olympic medal table as well:
At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, similarly to the previous Games, athletes could receive financial rewards for winning medals. However, the money is not paid directly by the IOC, but by the national Olympic committees of each country. Imane Khelif received a cash prize of 100,000 USD for winning the gold medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Half of this amount, i.e. 50,000 USD, went directly to Khelif, while the remaining half was divided between her coach and the Algerian boxing federation.
Cash prize amounts vary by country. For example, in some countries, athletes can receive amounts ranging from several dozen or even several hundred thousand dollars for a gold medal, while in other countries the prizes are much smaller. Poland offers its medallists cash prizes for podium places, but the amount of these prizes is set by the Polish Olympic Committee and may change with each Games.
IBA vs IOC
Imane Khelif qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games thanks to her success in the African qualifying tournament in Dakar in 2023 and meeting all IOC requirements. After being previously disqualified from the 2023 World Championships, Khelif passed the IOC qualifying tests, earning the right to compete in the up to 66 kg category. This earned her a place in the Olympic boxing tournament.
IBA decisions do not have a direct impact on IOC decisions. In 2023, the IOC decided to revoke the IBA’s recognition as an international boxing federation, meaning the IBA does not govern boxing at the Olympic Games. The reasons for this decision were, among others, suspicions of mismanagement of the IBA under the leadership of Russian President Umar Kremlev, as well as decisions to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in competitions under their national flags despite the war in Ukraine. This decision was the result of long-standing problems with the IBA related to governance, financial transparency and manipulation of fight results. The responsibility for organizing the boxing tournament at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024 was taken over by a special committee on behalf of the IOC, called the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit (PBU).
The source of false news about Imane Khelif
Facebook page called boxing, followed by over 24,000 users, regularly spread false and/or unverifiable content about Imane Khelif. It shares both posts with a neutral or positive attitude towards the Algerian, as well as content aimed at evoking negative emotions.
Many posts about Imane Khelif contain the same content, with just some new images. For instance, this post from 8 September refers to a text with the same content as the source of the fake news discussed in the article.
Furthermore, the “boxing” profile also contains links to texts pretending to be fact-checking articles. The purpose of those is not to reliably present information from the world of boxing, but above all to gain as many interactions as possible and achieve maximum reach. Content authors focus on creating sensational headlines, causing controversy and manipulating recipients’ emotions. Which is to provoke them to like, share and comment. This strategy is based on generating traffic on the website, which translates into greater reach and greater engagement, and thus possible financial benefits. Imane Khelif arouses vivid emotions, and any information about her is the reason for many interactions and comments. This makes it an attractive topic for websites that are content aggregators and gossip portals.
Summary
The post on the X platform discussed in the article is a classic example of fake news, i.e. false news pretending to be a press release. Theses about Imane Khelif are not confirmed by any official and reliable sources. Moreover, this post is based on strong emotions caused by the controversy surrounding Imane Khelif. However, the source of this information is a website aimed at provoking as many interactions as possible and achieve the greatest possible reach, rather than to provide reliable information.
Sources
Olympics.com: https://olympics.com/ioc/news/ioc-session-withdraws-recognition-of-international-boxing-association
Olympics.com: https://olympics.com/ioc/news/joint-paris-2024-boxing-unit-ioc-statement
Boxing Athlete 365: https://boxing.athlete365.org/qualification-system-and-rules/
Sport Bible: https://www.sportbible.com/boxing/imane-khelif-olympic-games-gender-eligibility-prize-money-195646-20240809
AAP Factcheck: https://www.aap.com.au/factcheck/no-imane-khelif-not-stripped-of-olympic-gold/
