Imperialist poet Rudyard Kipling’s White Man’s Burden is an unashamedly racist poem predicated on the premise that the ways of Westerners are superior to those of the “devil-like” irresponsible and flighty natives. It incredously casts a moral duty on the Westerners to civilize the unruly non-Westerners (in this specific case, the colonized Filipinos). It posits the falsity of noble intentions onto Westerners to justify any dehumanizing acts e.g., colonizing, subjugation or even reckless name calling. This narrative of entitlement afforded to the colonialist Western powers has been consistently applied, be it with the British Raj in the Indian subcontinent, the Belgian colonists in Congo, Italian colonists in erstwhile Abyssinia, or with the French excesses in Algeria.

While the days of the “colonies” are long over, the subliminal spirit of racism, supremacism and disdain towards non Westerners still afflicts many. This has resulted in the strong revival of revisionist conservative parties across the European Continent and in the possible return of Donald Trump in the US elections. If Marie Le Pen’s neo-fascist party of the far Right has been breathing down the neck of the French government, in Italy, Georgia Meloni’s extreme rightwing Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy) is ruling the roost. Such an environment naturally emboldens a spirit of xenophobia and disdain towards the proverbial “others”.

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Not only does it breed “othering”, Islamophobia, anti-immigration demands etc., but also normalises the political-societal appropriation of justness and fairness as being unique to the Western world. Shades of such bias and unsubstantiated accusations that have been the historical privilege of the entitled Westerners surfaced in the Olympic arena. Italy’s boxer Angela Carini withdrew from the bout against Algerian boxer Imane Khelif after 46 seconds claiming that she was hit abnormally hard! This loaded and so far, unproven innuendo led to a barrage of vile accusations and online abuse calling out Imane Khelif as a “biological male” or “transgender”. Her appearance, power in the punch, and spectacular success led to a flurry of aspersions without proper verification or confirmation by the Olympic authorities themselves. The unsporting optics started early, with Carini refusing to shake hands with Khelif after the bout.

Understandably, Khelif was distraught, as was the Algerian Olympic organisation which stood resolutely by its cornered athlete, as she withstood the mediasmirks and reckless name-calling. Many Westerners like the unhinged Trump, JK Rowling, and even Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, joined the complaining chorus by saying that it was, “a match that did not seem on equal footing”! This left Khelif with no choice but to take it on her proverbial chin, albeit, outside the boxing ring. However, soon a counter public outcry defending Khelif erupted and gained traction. Many realised that the convenient storyline scripted by the Russia-backed International Boxing Association (no longer recognised by the Olympic Association) was not legally tenable.

They recognised that perhaps the functionaries of these competing bodies had their own axe to grind and were in the midst of the usual mudslinging, and that this event gave them an opportunity to seed doubts that were gleefully picked up by some. The Olympic Committee iterated that Khelif and Lin Yuting (a Taiwanese boxer called into similar question) were indeed women and that, “they have been born as female. They have boxed as females for a long time in female competitions without any major problems”. This included the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Jumping the gun on someone’s looks was squarely unfair. In any case, issues of gender require maturity and sensitivity in understanding and commenting. As the social media stance shifted from attacking Khelif to defending her dignity, the Italian boxer who had initiated the accusation soon retracted and apologised. It was clearly a case of premature judgement, discriminatory spirit, and above all, racism that besets the majority of the First World, still made up of former colonists and their apologists.

Sane voices like that of Claressa Sheilds, Gold medalist in 2012, that women with naturally high levels of tes tosterone should not be penalized just because others may not have the same levels, added the much needed nuance. She clarified, “That’s like saying, ‘Oh, she’s too strong to be at this weight, she’s knocking everybody out, we’re going to put her in the men’s division.’ It has to be some facts that make sense.” The fact that the International Olympic Committee had done the necessary spadework and approved her participation (even subsequently clarified its stand) should have ended the murmurs ~ only it didn’t, and that was reflective of the smallness of spirit in the cry wolf attempt. It was ridiculous to say that Khelif had punched hard in a boxing match at the Olympics; what else could be expected at that level of sport?

That it takes an extraordinarily gifted gene pool with extraordinarily bestowed bodily composition to run at speeds that they do, jump as high as they do, swim as fast as they do, or even punch as hard as they do, was lost on so many. Indeed, tests and validations to ensure certain compliances (or non-compliances) are a must and they must have been done, yet so many pitched in with their regressive basic instincts, without proper substantiation. The duplicity of standards is glaring and possibly the unsubstantiated backlash may not have been so severe had the boxer been from the West.

Years ago, another “other” in the form of Serena Williams had worn an outfit stating, “Queen. Don’t be afraid to rule like a King” ~ following despicable insinuations that she was a “man” owing to her physique and strength. She went on to become the most successful tennis player of all time. The French themselves got a dose of inelegant whispers when Amelie Mauresmo won two Grand Slams (when the likes of rival Martina Hingis had called her ‘half man’) but withered away subsequently, as her inherent talent could only take her that far.

The French had readily and rightly taken objection to unsubstantiated aspersions on one of their ‘own’, but perhaps affording a similar instinctive reaction to an Algerian in the Paris Olympics may have been too much to expect. The perceptions and dynamics of an Algerian in France comes with its load of wounded history that is enmeshed in colonialism, denialism and continuing racism. That an Imane Khelif has defied so many stereotypes, overcome so many personal-societal challenges, and conducted herself in a manner befitting the true values of an Olympian need to be lauded. She will do well because she is determined and talented, not because of anything else.

(The writer is Lt Gen PVSM, AVSM (Retd), and former Lt Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Puducherr)