‘Why Aren’t Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps Banned?’: Taapsee Pannu Speaks Out on Imane Khelif Gender Row

Imane Khelif, an Algerian boxer, overcame great challenges to win an Olympic gold medal in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The 25-year-old, who stood 1.79 meters tall, became well-known throughout the event. Originating from a little village about 300 km away from Algiers, Khelif's story surprised everyone by becoming a surprise hero in the Paris Olympics. In the women's 66-kg division, Khelif made a huge difference in the Olympic medal rankings by winning the gold over Yang Liu of China in a nail-biting final match. 

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Taapsee Pannu opines her view on Imane Khelif’s controversy at the Paris Olympics 2024

Before these competitions, the 25-year-old Imane Khelif was expelled from the women's World Championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA) for apparently failing a gender eligibility test. Notwithstanding this, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) let her keep competing in the Olympics where she recently earned Olympic gold in welterweight boxing. Speaking out in favour of Khelif during a recent interview, actress Taapsee Pannu addressed the gender debate around the Algerian boxer.

Taapsee defended Khelif by pointing out, citing American swimmer Michael Phelps and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt as examples, that certain athletes inherently have a biological edge over others. Taapsee Pannu said in her interview with news agency ANI:

"I played a role on that subject. I did a film called Rashmi Rocket which was about a female athlete being banned due to high level of testosterone. We presented our views and that is why I think the beauty of the kind of films I get is that I get my films to talk about the issues I personally believe in instead of making a specific statement about it."

“Our argument in the film was that there are so many athletes who are born with an edge over the others. Like Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps, all of them were born with a certain biological edge over the others. Why are they not banned? If she has taken injections or something that is illegal, then of course she should be banned. But if she has not, then why should she be banned?”

Saying they harassed her online due to the gender discussion at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, recently Khelif sued numerous individuals, including Elon Musk and J.K. Rowling.