Olympics gender row boxer Imane Khelif bursts in tears and declares 'I am a woman' - as she gloats about 'winning a medal for Algeria and Arabs' having guaranteed at least a bronze after her quarter final victory

Imane Khelif collapsed in tears and had to be held up by friends as she guaranteed herself an Olympic medal after becoming the most controversial athlete at the Paris games.

Khelif,25,won her second bout of the Olympics against her Hungarian opponent and left the ring in floods of tears.

In her first bout it was her Italian opponent, Angela Carini,who was reduced to tears and quit the match after just 46 seconds,but tonight it was Khelif who left sobbing in relief as the incredible focus and pressure on her gave way.

Olympic chiefs slammed the 'hate' levied on her after it was revealed that the International Boxing Association had declared her a male and disqualified her from last year's World Championships after she failed their gender eligibility tests.

The genetic tests showed that Khelif has male XY chromosomes in her DNA. But she is not transgender. 

Celebrities such as JK Rowling,British Olympian swimmer Sharron Davies and double Olympic gold medal-winning ex-boxer Nicola Adams have spoken out against Khelif's involvement in women's sport.

Davies said: 'This is shocking. The IOC are a bloody disgrace. In effect legalising beating up females. This must stop!!! What the hell's the matter with them?'.

Former Prime Minister Liz Truss asked: 'When will this madness stop? Men cannot become women. Why is the British Government not objecting to this?'

Imane Khelif will fight Hungary's Anna Luca Hamori in the next round at the Olympics

Olympic officials say the matter is a 'minefield' and that no forensic and unquestionable scientific evidence has been provided to prove both athletes were not women.

IOC chief Bach said: 'We are talking about women's boxing .We have two boxers who are born as a woman,who were raised as women,who have passport as women,who have competed for many years as women. This is the clear definition of a woman.'

But Khelif's team were unhappy with the 'baseless' accusations made against the boxer and when she eventually returns to Algeria will be a star having provided the most sensational boxing bout by defeating her first opponent in just 46 seconds on Thursday.

She is said to be set for a tumultuous welcome when she lands back in Tiaret with offers of TV shows and films,said an Algerian businessman living in Paris.

'She is a national heroine back home. The public there are very sorry for her for the way she has been treated. She was not famous before,but she is a star now.'

The Algerian Olympic and Sports Committee filed an official complaint with the IOC to protest the online harassment of Khelif that amounts to ' a serious violation of sports ethics and the Olympic Charter by one of the participants in the boxing tournament at the Paris Olympics,according to a statement that was posted on the committee's Facebook page.

The statement did not name the boxer who has allegedly posted disparaging comments of the Algerian,but warned that the IOC 'has issued a final warning to delete every post that concerns our heroine Iman Khalif.'

It added: ' We reserve the right to prosecute everyone who participated in the heinous campaign against our heroine Imane Khelif.'

OlympicsHungaryBreaking NewsImane Khelif