Imane Khelif’s debut fight at the 2024 Paris Olympics has intensified the controversy surrounding her participation. The Algerian boxer, who failed gender eligibility tests at the 2023 World Championships, forced her Italian opponent, Angela Carini, to withdraw from their opening-round bout after just 46 seconds on Thursday.
A distraught Carini retreated to her corner in tears after being hit twice in the face by Khelif. “This is unjust,” she shouted, throwing her headgear onto the canvas. Carini refused to shake hands with Khelif and pulled away when the referee attempted to raise Khelif’s hand in victory.
“I’m used to suffering,” Carini said, speaking to reporters through tears for 20 minutes after the fight. “I’ve never taken a punch like that; it’s impossible to continue. I’m nobody to say it’s illegal. I got into the ring to fight, but after the first minute, the pain in my nose was too much. I’m leaving with my head held high.”
Carini’s coach, Emanuel Renzini, mentioned that she had been warned against taking the fight. “Many people in Italy tried to call and tell her, ‘Don’t go, please: It’s a man; it’s dangerous for you,’” Renzini said, uncertain if Carini’s nose was broken.
Before the Olympics, the IOC defended the inclusion of Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, both disqualified from the world championships. “All athletes participating in the boxing tournament of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 comply with the competition’s eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations,” stated the IOC.
Both Khelif and Lin competed in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics without medaling. “I’m here for the gold,” Khelif told BBC Sport. “I fight everybody.”
The differing statuses of Khelif and Lin at the Olympics and world championships reflect the ongoing dispute between the IOC and the Russian-led International Boxing Association (IBA) over governance and integrity issues, as well as reliance on funding from Gazprom. “Everyone competing in the women’s category is complying with the competition eligibility rules,” said IOC spokesman Mark Adams. “They are women in their passports, and it’s stated that they are female.”
The IOC has appointed officials to oversee boxing at two consecutive Summer Games and noted that the tournament rules for Paris are derived from those in place at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016. The IOC-run athlete database detailed Khelif’s experience at the 2023 world championships, where she was disqualified hours before her gold medal match due to elevated testosterone levels.
Khelif is set to fight Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori in the quarterfinals on Saturday. “I’m not scared,” said Hamori, who defeated Australia’s Marissa Williamson Pohlman in her opening fight. “I don’t care about the press story and social media. If she or he is a man, it will be a bigger victory for me if I win.”
The bout has sparked global outrage, including from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. “I regret [Carini’s withdrawal] even more. I was emotional yesterday when she wrote ‘I will fight’ because dedication, head, and character surely play a role in these things,” Meloni said. “But then it also matters to be able to compete on equal grounds, and from my point of view, it was not an even contest.”
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