Riley Gaines has slammed Kamala Harris for staying silent on the gender issue in Olympic boxing, saying the current vice president represents a “vote against her daughter’s future.”
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif is at the centre of a fierce controversy this summer after being allowed to compete in the women’s category at the Paris Olympics despite questions about her gender.
Khelif, who is a biological woman, was banned from last year’s world championships after allegedly failing tests that showed she has male “XY” chromosomes.
Her participation in Paris has therefore sparked outrage, with Gaines and several high-profile figures furious at the decision to allow her to compete.
Ahead of her expected Democratic nomination for president, Harris has yet to comment on the gender controversy surrounding Khelif at this summer’s Olympics.
Riley Gaines (left) criticized Kamala Harris for her silence on the gender dispute in Olympic boxing
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif (left) is at the centre of a fierce controversy after being allowed to compete in the women’s category at the Olympics despite questions about her gender.
And Gaines believes this radio silence from the potential next president of the United States is a worrying sign.
“Crickets for Kamala, crickets for the women of ‘The View.’ And if I could implore you, a vote for Kamala is a vote against your daughter’s future,” said the former American swimmer, who previously competed against transgender athlete Lia Thomas. Fox News’ ‘Jesse Waters Primetime’ Program.
“I see a lot of people on social media saying they’re voting for Kamala because she’s a woman. Well, let me tell you, Jesse, I’m voting for Trump because I’m a woman.”
To further fuel the outrage, Khelif completely dominated Italy’s Angela Carini in her short-lived opening bout at the Olympics on Thursday, forcing her female opponent to abandon the contest after just 46 seconds.
Carini was punched twice in the first round of her women’s welterweight fight in Paris; the blows even appeared to rip off her chin strap before she returned to the center of the ring and lost the fight.
Potential presidential candidate Harris has yet to comment on the gender debate at the Olympics
Gaines says this shows that supporting the vice president is “a vote against her daughter’s future.”
Khelif completely dominated Angela Carini in her brief Olympic debut, forcing the Italian to retire after 46 seconds.
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 ring when her defeat was confirmed.
On Thursday, Gaines shared a clip of Khelif beating Carini into submission on X-rated and wrote alongside it: ‘Call me crazy but it’s almost like women don’t want a man to punch them in the face while the world watches and applauds.
“This is glorified male violence against women.”
In addition to Khelif, Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-Ting was also allowed to compete at the Olympics despite being disqualified from last year’s world championships for failing the same tests.
Olympic chiefs have sharply reaffirmed their decision to allow both boxers to compete in Paris on Thursday.
Carini was seen crying in the ring after her one-sided loss at the hands of Khelif.
“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”.