Olympic officials have drastically reversed their decision to allow two boxers who failed a gender test to compete in Paris, after one of their opponents pulled out of their fight in tears after 46 seconds.
Amid deeply disturbing scenes on the outskirts of Paris, distraught Italian Angela Carini abandoned her match against Algeria’s Imane Khelif. Khelif was disqualified from last year’s world championships because she was considered biologically male.
The defeated welterweight fighter was hit twice, suffered a suspected broken nose and barely threw a punch at her teammates before telling them, “It’s not fair.”
She then sank to her knees, punched the canvas in frustration and refused to shake Khelif’s hand. After the lopsided fight ended, Carini, 25, said she had withdrawn out of fear for her own safety. The situation was subsequently criticized by a UN women’s welfare official and Italy’s prime minister.
However, the IOC hit back at what it called “discrimination”, saying Khelif, 25, and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, who was also disqualified from the competition in New Delhi and is due to compete today (FRIDAY), were “victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA”.
Olympic leaders have dramatically doubled down on their decision to allow Algeria’s Imane Khelif (in red) to compete
Khelif (left) won the women’s welterweight match when Angela Carini (right) surrendered the match after 46 seconds
The IBA was the governing body of boxing that oversaw the World Championships, but its status was revoked by the IOC due to governance issues and alleged corruption. As a result, the IOC took over the organization of boxing in the Games, as well as the eligibility rules that go with it.
Some argue that the IOC rules are more lenient and that this led to the presence of the previously banned duo in Paris, but they reject this idea.
“They (Khelif and Yu-ting) were suddenly disqualified without any due process,” the 557-word statement said, adding that, in line with previous Olympic Games, “the gender and age of the athletes are based on their passports.”
“Everyone has the right to participate in sport without discrimination,” the IOC said, before stressing that the rules are based on those used by the IBA before its forced withdrawal in 2023.
Criticism was also levelled at ‘misleading information about two female athletes’, adding that the duo ‘have been competing in international boxing competitions in the women’s category for years.’
The statement highlighted “aggression” against the boxers, which it said was “completely based on an arbitrary decision taken without any due process.”
The Italian boxer fell to her knees after giving up and was seen crying in the ring
The International Olympic Committee, led by president Thomas Bach (pictured), criticised the “aggression” and “discrimination” against “biologically male” boxers.
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It concluded: ‘Such an approach is contrary to good governance. The Rules of Participation must not be changed during the ongoing competition, and any change to the Rules must follow the correct processes and be based on scientific evidence… The IOC is saddened by the abuse currently being suffered by the two athletes.’
Carini was punched twice by Khelif in the opening round of their women’s welterweight bout in Paris.
The blows appeared to knock off the Italian boxer’s chin strap, sending the fighter running to her corner.
Carini returned to the center of the ring and left the match, with Khelif being declared the winner.
The Italian boxer, who claimed before the match that she could “only adapt to the rules of the Olympic Games”, was subsequently seen crying in the middle of the ring after the match’s abrupt end.
Carini admitted she gave up the fight to “safeguard her life.” “I couldn’t go on,” she said.
Carini said: ‘I stopped to save my life’ clash between 25-year-old and her Algerian opponent
Carini screamed “this is unfair” before falling to the canvas and crying as her Olympic dreams were taken away from her
After the match, the broken Italian said: ‘I’m used to suffering. I’ve never had such a blow, it’s impossible to continue. I’m not someone who says it’s illegal.
“I stepped into the ring to fight. But after the first minute I didn’t feel like it anymore. I started to feel a severe pain in my nose. I didn’t give up, but one punch hurt too much and so I said enough. I’m leaving with my head held high.”
She said she did not withdraw from the fight in protest of her opponent’s participation, but that it was a decision for the Olympics to consider.
Khelif’s participation in the event sparked controversy after she was disqualified from last year’s Women’s Boxing World Championship.
The Olympic Games website reported that Khelif was disqualified hours before a gold medal match against China’s Yang Liu in New Delhi because her elevated testosterone levels did not meet eligibility criteria.
The Algerian Olympic Committee (COA) responded by saying the disqualification was part of a “conspiracy” to prevent them from winning a gold medal. According to the COA, “medical reasons” were the cause of the high testosterone levels.
Lin Yu-Ting from Taiwan was also disqualified from the world championships.
According to feminist website Reduxx, both sexes are thought to suffer from difference in sex development (DSD), a set of medical conditions diagnosed at birth in which the genitals are atypical in relation to chromosomes.
Algerian team has responded to ‘unfounded attacks’ against Khelif ahead of competition
Khelif had also participated in the Olympic Games in Tokyo, but was defeated in the first rounds
The IBA stated that neither athlete had suffered a sports injury. testosterone tests, but were instead “subject to a separate and recognised test” administered at their 2022 and 2023 world championships.
It is claimed that the tests ‘conclusively demonstrated that both athletes did not meet the required eligibility criteria’, with both boxers ‘appeared to have a competitive advantage over other female competitors.’
The Boxing Unit has approved the participation of both boxers under the rules that apply to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. These rules are less strict than those of the IBA.
Both Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting compete in the Tokyo event, but both lose in the first rounds of their events.
