Olympic chiefs have dramatically reaffirmed their decision to allow two boxers who failed a gender test to compete in Paris, after the opponent of one of them walked out of their fight in tears after just 46 seconds.
Amid deeply disturbing scenes outside Paris, a distraught Angela Carini has walked out of her competition with Algerian Imane Khelif, who was disqualified from last year’s World Championships after being deemed biologically male.
The defeated welterweight was hit twice, suffered a suspected broken nose and barely threw one punch before telling her corner: “It’s not fair.”
She then dropped to her knees, punched the canvas in frustration and refused to shake Khelif’s hand. After the lopsided fight ended, Carini, 25, said she walked away out of fear for her own safety. The move was later criticised 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 Taiwanese Lin Yu-ting, who was also disqualified from the New Delhi competition and is due to fight today (Friday), were “victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA”.
Olympic chiefs have dramatically doubled down on their decision to allow Algeria’s Imane Khelif (in red) to compete
Khelif (left) won the women’s welterweight fight when Angela Carini (right) abandoned the fight after 46 seconds.
The IBA was the governing body for boxing that oversaw the World Championships, but was stripped of its status by the IOC over governance issues and alleged corruption. As a result, the IOC took over the management of boxing at the Games and the eligibility rules surrounding it.
Some have seen IOC rules as more relaxed and have allowed the previously banned pair to compete in Paris, but have rejected the idea.
“They (Khelif and Yu-ting) were suddenly disqualified without any due process,” the 557-word statement read before adding that, in line with previous Olympics, “athletes’ gender and age are based on their passport.”
“Everyone has the right to practice sport without discrimination,” the IOC said, before stressing that its rules were based on the rules the IBA had in place before its forced withdrawal in 2023.
She also criticised “misleading information about two female athletes”, adding that the pair “have been competing in international boxing competitions for many years in the women’s category”.
The statement highlighted the “aggression” against the boxers which it said was “based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure.”
The Italian boxer fell to her knees after withdrawing and was seen crying in the ring
The International Olympic Committee, headed by its president Thomas Bach (pictured), criticised the “aggression” and “discrimination” towards the “biologically male” boxer.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) concluded: “This approach is contrary to good governance. Eligibility rules should not be amended during the ongoing competition, and any rule changes should follow proper processes and be based on scientific evidence… The IOC is saddened by the abuse currently being suffered by the two athletes.”
Carini was hit twice by Khelif in the first round of their women’s welterweight fight in Paris.
The blows appeared to rip the Italian boxer’s chin strap off, and she headed to her corner.
Carini returned to the center of the ring and abandoned the fight, leading to Khelif being declared the winner.
The Italian boxer, who had said before the fight that she “could only adapt to the rules of the Olympic Games”, was later seen crying in the centre of the ring after the abrupt conclusion of the fight.
Carini revealed that he had abandoned the fight to “safeguard my life” and said: “I couldn’t continue.”
Carini said ‘I will quit to save my life’ after the clash between the 25-year-old and her Algerian opponent
Carini screamed “this is unfair” before falling to the canvas in tears after having her Olympic dreams snatched away.
After the match, the heartbroken Italian said: “I’m used to suffering. I’ve never received 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 I didn’t feel like it anymore. I started to feel a strong pain in my nose. I didn’t give up, but one punch hurt too much and I said enough. I’m leaving with my head held high.’
She said she did not walk away from the fight in protest of her opponent’s inclusion, but that it was a decision the Olympics needed to consider.
Khelif’s participation in the event has been a source of controversy after she was disqualified from the Women’s World Boxing Championships last year.
The Olympics website said Khelif had been disqualified hours before a gold medal bout against China’s Yang Liu in New Delhi after her elevated testosterone levels did not meet eligibility criteria.
The Algerian Olympic Committee (COA) responded by claiming the disqualification was part of a “conspiracy” to prevent them from winning a gold medal and said there were “medical reasons” behind the high testosterone levels.
Lin Yu-Ting of Taiwan was also disqualified from the World Championships.
According to feminist website Reduxx, both are believed to be affected by a Difference of Sex Development (DSD), a series of medical conditions identified at birth where the genitals are atypical in relation to the chromosomes.
Algerian national team responds to ‘unfounded attacks’ against Khelif ahead of competition
Khelif had also competed at the Tokyo Olympics, but was defeated in the early rounds.
The IBA stated that none of the athletes underwent testosterone tests, but were “subjected to a separate, recognized test” that was conducted at their 2022 and 2023 World Championships.
It is claimed that the tests “conclusively indicated that both athletes did not meet the necessary eligibility criteria required”, and that both boxers ‘They were found to have competitive advantages over other female competitors.’
The Boxing Unit approved the participation of both boxers under the rules in force for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which are less strict than those of the IBA.
Both Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting are competing in Tokyo, and both lost in the early rounds of their respective events.