Subplots of the Paris Olympics became fodder for politicians, and that's not unusual in history

Algeria's Imane Khelif celebrates after defeating China's Yang Liu to win gold in their women's 66 kg final boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France.

Algeria's Imane Khelif celebrates after defeating China's Yang Liu to win gold in their women's 66 kg final boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)


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PARIS — Not long after the Algerian boxer at the center of a gender misconceptions controversy won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics, Donald Trump pounced on the achievement at a rally more than 7,000 miles away in Bozeman, Montana. The former president has used the saga surrounding Imane Khelif as part of the culture wars raging through America ahead of November's election. Khelif faced scrutiny from world leaders, celebrities and others who questioned her eligibility or falsely claimed she was a man. There's no such thing as an apolitical Olympics, and that was very clear from the dazzling opening ceremony in Paris that offended religious groups and drew Trump criticism. The two-week sporting spectacle was pulled into the political discourse pulsating throughout the United States.

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OlympicsNational Sports
Jenna Fryer

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