In just 46 seconds into their Round of 16 match at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Italian boxer Angela Carini lost to Imane Khelif of Algeria on Thursday.
Khelif gave Carini a few sharp jabs that made her decide not to continue fighting. Carini indicated that she did not want to continue after being clipped with her right hand.
She waved to the referee and went back to her corner. The fight’s one-sidedness and Khelif’s past problems with gender eligibility spurred more discussions regarding gender in sports and boxing.
A regulation prohibiting athletes with XY chromosomes from competing in women’s events excluded Khelif and Lin Yu-ting of China Tapei, who are both competing in the Olympics this year, from the 2023 World Boxing Championships in New Delhi.
The International Boxing Association’s decision resulted in Khelif and Yu-ting being disqualified from their gold and bronze medal matches, respectively. Khelif and Yu-ting do not identify as intersex or transgender.
Due to governing problems and judging scandals, the International Olympic Committee later deprived the IBA of its authority as the world’s regulating body for boxing.
The IOC’s Paris 2024 Boxing unit decided who might compete at the 2024 Olympics, Khelif and Yu-ting.
“While IBA remains committed to ensuring competitive fairness in all of our events, we express concern over the inconsistent application of eligibility criteria by other sporting organizations, including those overseeing the Olympic Games,” the International Basketball Association said in a statement released on Wednesday. “The IOC’s differing regulations on these matters, in which IBA is not involved, raise serious questions about both competitive fairness and athletes’ safety.”
Emanuel Rezini, Carini’s coach, had hoped that his opponent would survive the opening frame so they could assess the situation. However, the pain from punches to her nose was too much for Carini to bear.
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After winning, Khelif was led away by her coaches and avoided speaking with the media. Even before the altercation on Thursday, Khelif’s thinking was clouded by the gender argument.
The previous day, foreign media sources had begun “the unethical targeting and maligning” of Khelif, which the Olympic committee of Algeria vehemently condemned.
“Such attacks on her personality and dignity are deeply unfair, especially as she prepares for the pinnacle of her career at the Olympics,” the committee stated on Wednesday.
