In one of the most contentious Olympic matches ever, a boxer deemed a 'biological male' defeated Italian fighter Angela Carini. The bout between Carini and Algerian competitor Imane Khelif lasted only 46 seconds. The Italian threw her helmet to the ground and protested, exclaiming, "This is unfair," as the match was called off.
Angry and in tears, Carini retreated to her corner after being struck twice in the face by Khelif, who had been banned from a major boxing event prior to the Olympics. Carini refused the handshake and collapsed to the canvas in tears. She shouted at her corner as the match in the 66-kilogram division was called off.
Woman vs The Wild
Once the match was halted, the referee raised Khelif's hand in air. However, a visibly enraged Carini pulled her own hand away from the referee and walked off. Disregarding Khelif, the Italian fighter sank to her knees and began to cry, expressing that she had never experienced such powerful blows in a fight before.
After the match, the distraught Italian stated: "I'm used to suffering. I've never taken 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 I didn't feel like it anymore after the first minute. I started to feel a strong pain in my nose. I didn't give up, but a punch hurt too much and so I said enough. I'm leaving with my head held high."
Carini clarified that she did not leave the fight as a protest against her opponent's participation but said that it was a matter for the Olympics to address.
She was taken for a medical evaluation to assess the extent of her facial injuries, which included a bruised nose.
Later, in the mix zone, Carini's coach commented: "I don't know if her nose is broken. I have to speak with the girl. But many people in Italy tried to call and tell her: 'Don't go please: it's a man, it's dangerous for you."
Olympic Committee in the Line of Fire
The IOC officials are now facing intense criticism following the fight, with former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss condemning the match. Writing on Twitter, the former Tory MP said: "When will this madness stop? Men cannot become women. Why is the British Government not objecting to this?"
Carini is an Italian police officer with the Fiamme Oro, the elite sports division of the Italian police.
Her mantra is: "Boxing is a sport that teaches you to have respect for your opponent. It can be a weapon in life, but only for defence. It cannot and must not become an abuse. Like any sport, it can instead become a vehicle for venting anger and pain."
Khelif was banned from last year's world championships after failing testosterone tests intended to determine gender eligibility.
Despite these issues with gender testing, she was allowed to play the Olympics, causing major controversy. Officials at Paris 2024 have recognized her as female in her official games biography.
Also, Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting was disqualified from the 2023 women's boxing world championships for failing a gender eligibility test.
