PARIS: The Hungarian Boxing Association has protested against the decision to allow Algerian Imane Khelif to compete in the Olympics ahead of her bout with Hungary's Anna Luca Hamori, reported German news agency (dpa).
Khelif has been at the centre of a gender eligibility storm at the Games, which has intensified since her victory over Angela Carini on Thursday, when the Italian abandoned the fight after just 46 seconds.
The 25-year-old Khelif is one of two fighters, along with Lin Yu-ting of Chinese Taipei, who were disqualified from last year's World Championships for failing to meet gender eligibility criteria, but have been admitted to Paris 2024 by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Khelif is now set to face Hamori in the quarter-finals on Saturday but the Hungarian Boxing Association has questioned her involvement in the Games and has asked the Hungarian Olympic Committee to seek clarification from the IOC.
Lajos Berko, a member of the Hungarian Boxing Association's executive board, told his country's state news agency MTI: "I am very sad that there is a scandal and that we have to talk about a topic that is not compatible with sport.
"This is unacceptable and outrageous. The Hungarian Olympic Committee itself called for talks with the IOC to protect 'the right of female competitors to equal opportunities and fair competition'."
Berko added in a statement on his governing body's website: "The Hungarian Boxing Federation and Hungarian boxing are proud of Luca Hamori's Olympic performance, who reached the last eight in Paris after a victorious match.
"On Aug 3, Luca will face Algeria's Imane Khelif for a guaranteed medal semi-final. In recent hours, our federation has notified the Hungarian Olympic Committee that we object to the participation of the Algerian athlete.
"We would like to express our gratitude to the Hungarian Olympic Committee. It continuously examines what means it can use to protect Luca Hamori's rights to fair competition based on the rules in force. The (Hungarian Olympic Committee) president immediately initiated consultations with the IOC sports director in order to clarify the situation."
Chinese Taipei fighter Lin, who is the second boxer involved in the eligibility controversy, is also through the quarter-finals and will face Bulgaria's Svetlana Staneva this weekend. --BERNAMA