VIDEO: PM Orbán called Algerian female Olympic champion boxer Imane Khelif a man on Women’s Day
PM Viktor Orbán distributed lots of flowers yesterday, marking International Women’s Day. His encounter with professional Hungarian female boxer Luca Hámori was probably the most memorable one, as during their meeting, he called Algerian female boxer Imane Khelif a man.
PM Orbán greeted Ms Hámori on Women’s Day
According to his video uploaded to Facebook, Orbán did not bring a bunch of flowers to Ms Hámori; instead, he got her a pair of boxing gloves from Evander Holyfield, the undisputed champion in the cruiserweight division in the late 1980s and at heavyweight in the early 1990s. He is the only boxer in history to win the undisputed championship in two weight classes in the “three-belt era”. Ms Hámori was astonished when she received the gift. Holyfield also sent her a personal video message about the importance of following her dreams.
Furthermore, he wrote a Bible quote on one of the gloves: Philippians 4:13. Orbán took out his Bible from his bag and searched for the passage, which goes like this: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Orbán believes Imane Khelif is a man
Afterwards, Ms Hámori gave a pair of boxing gloves to PM Orbán, which he was thankful for. Orbán added that Holyfield was a great boxer, but he never fought against a woman, meanwhile, Ms Hámori fought against a man, he said, referring to the 2024 Paris Olympics when she faced the Algerian Imane Khelif. As we reported before, the IBA disqualified Khelif from the 2023 World Championships due to her elevated testosterone levels and XY chromosomes. Some even claimed that she was biologically male. However, the International Olympic Committee approved the 25-year-old Algerian boxer’s participation based on her female genitalia despite her possessing Y chromosomes.
András Falus, a prominent Hungarian geneticist, said Khelif’s hormonal state differs from that of other women, particularly due to elevated testosterone levels. This results in her muscles developing differently due to the one hundred times higher testosterone levels, which is like “biological doping”. Probably that is why Khelif’s punches were so strong that her Italian opponent, Angela Carini, withdrew in tears from their bout. However, she had been defeated by women before.
Ms Hámori did not withdraw, but she lost against Khelif in Paris.
Other politicians also celebrated International Women’s Day
Róbert Zsigó, the parliamentary state secretary of the culture and innovation ministry, paid tribute to women on International Women’s Day, thanking them “for all they do for their families and Hungary”.
The government wants women to receive more assistance in all areas of their life for education, employment, having and raising children and even their retirement years, Zsigó said on Facebook, noting that the government has pledged to carry on with family tax cuts and tax breaks.
Péter Magyar, the leader of the opposition Tisza Party, said the problems affecting Hungarian women were the problems of all Hungarians. “Help us help make every day Women’s Day,” he said, urging women to join men in shaping Hungary’s future together.
Alexandra Szentkirályi, the head of ruling Fidesz’s Budapest chapter, criticised Magyar for handing out flowers to women this week “to show that women matter to him … while lobbing threats and insults” in their direction. She said Magyar’s actions were “no more than empty gestures”, insisting that his “true nature” was to “humiliate and belittle” women. “The real manly thing for him to do would be to finally learn to control himself and not take out his anger on women,” she added.
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