Image source, Reuters
Photo caption, Imane Khelif, from Algeria, participates in the Paris 2024 boxing.Article information
- Author, Editorial
- Role, BBC News World
-
August 1, 2024
The boxing match between Algerian Imane Khelif and Italian Angela Carini has generated one of the most controversial moments of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Khelif, 25, qualified for the quarter-finals of the Games in the women’s 66-kilogram category on Thursday after Carini (25) left the ring after 46 seconds of combat.
The Italian was hit in the face, where she was wearing a protective mask, after only 30 seconds. As soon as she received the blow, Carini went to her corner to ask for support from her trainer. And when the fight briefly resumed, she returned to her corner and asked to withdraw.
The Algerian Khelif is, along with the Taiwanese Lin Yu-ting, one of two boxers who have been subjected to great scrutiny to compete in the women’s boxing in Paris.
This is not their first appearance at the Olympics, as they competed in Tokyo 2020, where they were defeated.
But last year a controversy surrounding her gender began, which has now been revived with her participation in the Paris Olympics.
An International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesman, Mark Adams, said the controversy stems from “rumours” that were already known.
“This needs to be made absolutely clear to everyone, this is not a transgender issue. I know you know that, but I think there have been some misreportings about this. And I think it’s very, very important to say that this is not a transgender issue,” Adams said.
Caption: “I’ve never been hit like that before,” said Angela Carini (blue).
The 2023 disqualification
Much of the controversy surrounding Khelif and Lin’s participation in Paris 2024 arose from a disqualification they suffered last year from the Women’s World Championships in India.
The International Boxing Association (IBA), which has not been recognised by the IOC since 2019, withdrew them from the competition after conducting tests that determined that they “did not meet the eligibility criteria”.
The IBA did not publicly disclose what the test results showed.
The IOC, which stopped recognising the association headed by Russian Umar Kremlev over corruption and mismanagement concerns, has said it was due to “high levels of testosterone”.
Caption: Imane Khelif has been defeated on several occasions, including at Tokyo 2020 against Irishwoman Kellie Harrington.
But later comments by the IBA president are cited as suggesting that Khelif and Lin did not have XX chromosomes for the biological female gender, but XY for the male.
Following Thursday’s fight, the IBA issued a statement saying the female boxers “did not undergo a testosterone test, but rather a recognised independent test, the details of which are confidential.”
“This test conclusively indicated that both athletes did not meet the necessary eligibility criteria and that they had competitive advantages over other competitors,” the body added.
Khelif had already competed at the Tokyo Olympics, where she was eliminated in the first round.
And on Monday, as the controversy over the issue began to resurface, the IOC said in a statement: “All athletes participating in the boxing tournament at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 comply with the eligibility and registration rules of the competition, as well as with all applicable medical regulations.”
Image source, Reuters
Caption: “I’m here for gold: I’m fighting against everyone,” said Imane Khelif after the fight in Paris 2024.
The situation in general has led to female boxers receiving constant criticism, including on Thursday against Khelif, who accuses her of not being a woman by birth, or that she changed her identity to compete as a woman.
But in Algeria, a Muslim country, the LGBTIQ+ community is widely repressed. Identity change is not permitted and homosexuality is socially punished. Authorities even have the power to carry out corporal punishment.
“This involves real people and we’re talking about real people’s lives here. They have competed and continue to compete in women’s competition. They have lost and won against other women, over the years,” said spokesman Mark Adams.
“I felt a sharp pain in my nose”
Italian Carini was extremely shaken after Thursday’s fight. She explained that she decided to abandon the fight to protect her safety, as she had never received a blow like that.
“I was not able to finish the fight, I felt a strong pain in my nose,” Carini told BBC Sport.
“I hope my nation doesn’t take it the wrong way, I hope my father doesn’t take it the wrong way, but I stopped, I said enough for me… It could have been the match of my life, but at that moment I also had to preserve my life,” he continued.
“I was not afraid, I am not afraid of the ring. I am not afraid of receiving blows. But there is an end to everything, and this time I ended this fight, because I was not able to [de continuar]”.
Speaking about Khelif, Carini told reporters: “I wish her to continue until the end and to be happy. I am a person who does not judge anyone. I am not here to judge.”
Image source, EPA
Caption: Carini said he chose to preserve his integrity.
Khelif, who has lost nine out of 50 career bouts, told BBC Sport: “I’m here for gold – I’m fighting everyone.”
Lin Yu-ting, who was stripped of the bronze medal at last year’s World Championships, fights on Friday. Khelif will fight Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori on Saturday.
“My mentality is to never give up, no matter what happens.”[El abandono de Carini] It’s your choice. I can promise that I will fight until the end. We’ll see what happens. I don’t know what the truth is. I don’t care. I just want to win.”
For BBC boxing analyst Steve Bunce, this situation raises further questions for boxing in general: “I think it has damaged Olympic boxing at a crucial time when its future is still being debated. It is an absolute disaster.”
“The interesting thing is that, in the run-up to this fight, some of her former rivals, good boxers, world and European champions, have said that [Khelif] “She’s not a cheater,” Bunce said.
“She’s not a devastating fighter. I feel very sorry for Carini, but you have to feel a little sorry for Khelif too, she’s caught in the middle of something absolutely devastating that’s not over yet.”
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