A boxer deemed a biological male won against a female boxer in one of the most controversial Olympics bouts ever.
The fight between Italy’s Angela Carini and her Algerian opponent Imane Khelif took just 46 seconds, with the Italian throwing her helmet onto the floor as the clash was abandoned, yelling: “This is unjust.”
The 25-year-old refused the handshake and fell to the canvas sobbing having received just two punches from Khelif, who had been banned from a major boxing contest before the Olympics.
Khelif was eliminated from last year’s world championships after failing testosterone tests for establishing gender qualification.
After the match was stopped, the referee raised Khelif’s hand in the air. However, a visibly furious Carini yanked her own hand away from the fight official and walked off.
Ignoring the Algerian, the Italian fighter then plunged to her knees and burst into tears. She said she had never felt such strong blows in a competition before.
Female vs male boxer in the Olympics
Speaking after the match, the heartbroken Italian said: “I’m used to suffering. I’ve never taken a punch like that, [and] 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,” she said.
“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.”
She said she did not walk away from the fight as a protest against her opponent’s inclusion, but that that was something for Olympics organizers to consider.
Carini’s coach in the mix zone after the fight said: “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.’”
Controversy erupts
The clash comes amid a gender storm at the Olympics over “biologically male” fighters competing in the female divisions.
IOC bosses overseeing the Olympics in Paris said Khelif met the eligibility criteria to compete despite concerns of the boxer’s biological sex.
The controversy has also been discussed widely by social media users, current and former athletes, and commentators, many of whom have expressed concern based on the fact that biological males pack a more powerful punch.
“I don’t agree with them being allowed to compete in sport, especially combat sports. It can be incredibly dangerous,” Australian boxing captain Caitlin Parker reportedly said.
“It’s shocking that they were actually allowed to get this far, what is going on?” Irish former boxer Barry McGuigan posted on X.
“Someone could get killed,” opined Oliver Brown, chief sports writer for UK newspaper the Daily Telegraph.
Elon Musk commented on X. He agreed with another user who texted: “Men don’t belong in women’s sports.”
