Italian boxer Angela Carini’s run at the Paris Olympics ended in tears Thursday morning against a very controversial opponent.
Algeria’s Imane Khelif, who last year had failed an eligibility test for participation in women’s competitions due to naturally high levels of testosterone, easily progressed to the women’s 66kg quarterfinals by landing two powerful blows on Carini, who was bleeding on her shorts and couldn’t continue due to severe nasal injuries.
“I have big pain in my nose and I said, ‘Stop’. It’s better to avoid keeping going. My nose started dripping with blood from the first hit,” Carini added. “I train with my brother”, the 25-year-old boxer added, “I’ve always fought against men, but I felt too much pain today.”
According to reports, Khelif suffers from a disease known as disorder of sex development (DSD), which results in some females having male-typical blood testosterone levels and XY chromosomes.
Last year, the International Boxing Association (IBA) declared that Khelif’s “elevated levels of testosterone failed to meet the eligibility criteria” and excluded her from the world championships. Nevertheless, the International Olympic Committee decided that she may compete in the women’s boxing event in Paris, just as she did three years prior in Tokyo, when she finished fifth after losing to Ireland’s Kellie Harrington in the quarterfinals.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who arrived in Paris last night to follow the Games, personally stepped in to defend the Italian boxer. “I think that athletes who have male genetic characteristics should not be admitted to women’s competitions,” she said during a meeting with the Italian delegation in Paris.
Earlier on Thursday, the Algerian Olympic Committee (COA) denounced “malicious and unethical attacks directed against our distinguished athlete, Imane Khelif, by certain foreign media”, calling the allegations as “completely unfair”.
Prior to Thursday’s episode, IOC spokesman Mark Adams had told reporters that, “Everyone competing in the women’s category… is complying with competition eligibility rules. “They are women in their passports and it’s stated in there that they are female.”
