There is a controversial woman athlete competing in the boxing event at the Paris Games, as some believe Algeria's Imane Khelif should not be allowed to participate after failing a gender eligibility test last year.
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With this in mind, her opponent Italian boxer Angela Carini didn't last a minute in the ring before bowing out of the 66kg preliminary round fight on Thursday, as she was hit with multiple blows and finally couldn't take it anymore.
Angela Carini (blue, female) abandons fight against Imane Khelif (red, male) a few minutes into fight /1 pic.twitter.com/yOIvZkDaow
— FairPlayForWomen (@fairplaywomen) August 1, 2024
MORE - Angela Carini: "I fought with blood in my eyes. Because I wanted this victory at all costs. Just for my father."pic.twitter.com/oOL9jjpQuJ
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) August 1, 2024
Carini spoke to reporters after the match on why she bowed out less than halfway through the first round.
"I felt a severe pain in my nose, and with the maturity of a boxer, I said 'Enough,' because I didn't want to, I couldn't finish the match."
In regards to her opponent Khelif's eligibility, she did not give her opinion on the matter.
"I've never been hit so hard in my life, it's up to the IOC to judge... I am not here to judge or pass judgment," Carini said. "If an athlete is this way, and in that sense it's not right or it is right, it's not up to me to decide. I just did my job as a boxer. I got into the ring and fought. I did it with my head held high and with a broken heart for not having finished the last kilometer."
On the other hand, as for the fans of the sport, there has been much judgment passed on Carini's behalf, as there is outrage due to the Olympic committee allowing Khelif to box at the Paris Games after she was disqualified from the gold medal match at the 2023 World Championships since failing the gender test.
#controversialtake All for equal opportunity but clearly what’s going on is unfair towards one side. Why can’t there be a separate category for athletes with excess androgen ? Across sports- Similar to para sports maybe? #AngelaCarini #ImaneKhelif #Boxing #Paris2024 https://t.co/J2jTZVEmr6
— Tejaswin Shankar (TJ) (@TejaswinShankar) August 1, 2024
"Everyone competing in the women's category is complying with the competition eligibility rules," an IOC spokesman said. "They are women in their passports and it's stated that this is the case, that they are female."
