46 seconds – that’s how long the fight between Italian boxer Angela Carini and Algerian competitor Imane Khelif lasted. The Italian refused to fight due to her opponent’s gender qualification. The International Boxing Federation prevents Khelif from competing, but the International Olympic Committee assures that everything is fine.
They expressed their doubts even before the fight. Italian Olympic Committee and the Italian Government. Last year Imane Khelif was disqualified from the World Championships due to failing gender qualification tests.
International Boxing Federation does not allow women and athletes to compete with chromosomami XY. Khelif qualified for the Olympic Games in Paris, however. The International Olympic Committee also allowed another athlete in a similar situation to compete – a representative of Taiwan Lin Yu-ting.
IOC defends itself. Italian minister: It is very worrying
“All athletes taking part in the boxing tournament in Paris comply with the rules of qualification for the competition, as well as all applicable medical regulations” – we read in a statement issued by the IOC.
SEE: Shouldn’t They Fight Women? Controversy Surrounds Female Boxers
However, the Italian Olympic Committee said it had “taken action with the International Olympic Committee to ensure that the rights of all athletes are in line with the Olympic Charter and health regulations”.
In turn, the Italian Minister of Family and Equal Opportunities Eugenia Roccella stressed that “it is very disturbing that two transgender people, men identifying as women, were allowed to compete in women’s boxing during the Olympic Games in Paris, after being excluded from the last competition“.
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