Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics, is greeted with an enthusiastic reception in her hometown

Imane Khelif, an Olympic gold medalist boxer, has been honored as a hero in her hometown.

Since Khelif returned to Algiers earlier this week, the North African nation that is devoted to football has lavished her with celebrity treatment.

This has been particularly evident in Tiaret, the predominantly rural region of central Algeria where she was raised and acquired her boxing skills.

At the municipal offices, the boxer was presented with framed certificates and bouquets.

“Algerians are entitled to joy and celebration.” According to Khelif, “I trust that we will have additional opportunities to bring them joy.”

Algerians ardently defended Khelif as she progressed through the Olympic Games amidst international scrutiny and uninformed speculation about her gender.

After failing the unspecified and untransparent eligibility tests for women’s competition administered by the now-banned International Boxing Association in 2023, she found herself in the crossfire of Western debates regarding gender, sex, and athletics, despite being born and reared as a woman.

Algerians perceived the controversy as an attack on their nation, as observers such as entrepreneur Elon Musk, author J.K. Rowling, and former U.S. President Donald Trump referred to her as a male in online posts.

Tiaret residents recognized the challenges that Khelif encountered during the Olympics on Friday and expressed their optimism that her triumph was merely the beginning.

Khelif has initiated a litigation in Paris against a number of prominent figures, such as Rowling and Elon Musk, for their alleged involvement in the dissemination of fraudulent information and their gender-based behavior.