Gender controversy at Paris Olympics as Italian boxer Carini quits in 46 seconds

A huge gender controversy erupted at the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024 after Italian boxer Angela Carini abandoned her fight against Algeria’s Imane Khelif in just 46 seconds on Thursday (August 1).

Carini quit the bout after two strong punches to her nose that started bleeding profusely. Later, she refused to shake hands with Khelif and was in tears and the video of this went viral on social media.

Carini crying video viral

The video of Carini crying received strong reactions from fans, politicians, and celebrities. Many have termed Khelif as a “biological male”.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni posted on X (formerly Twitter), “I know you won’t give up, Angela, and I know that one day you will earn with effort and sweat what you deserve. In a finally fair competition.”

Former US President Donald Trump said on his Truth Social network, "I WILL KEEP MEN OUT OF WOMEN'S SPORTS!"

Harry Potter author JK Rowling too reacted, saying “we saw a male punching a female”.

“The idea that those objecting to a male punching a female in the name of sport are objecting because they believe Khelif to be ‘trans’ is a joke. We object because we saw a male punching a female,” she posted on her X account.

“A young female boxer has just had everything she’s worked and trained for snatched away because you allowed a male to get in the ring with her. You’re a disgrace, your ‘safeguarding’ is a joke and #Paris24 will be forever tarnished by the brutal injustice done to Carini (sic),” she said in another post.

Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh said the bout was “unfair”.

“This is UNFAIR in my view @Olympics Needs to review this incident / match (sic),” Harbhajan posted on X.

Two boxers in question

Khelif, 25, is participating in the 66kg category, and 28-year-old Taiwan’s Lin Yu Ting, is fighting in the 57kg section in Paris.

The two female boxers were disqualified at the 2023 world championships after being judged to have failed gender eligibility tests.

Both finished outside the medals at the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021.

The 28-year-old Lin is a two-time world gold medallist and the 25-year-old Khelif won a silver at the 2022 tournament.

Both were removed from their competitions in New Delhi last year at the world championships, run by the International Boxing Association (IBA) which has been banished from Olympic boxing since before the Tokyo Games.

The different status of Lin and Khelif at the Olympics and worlds is the fallout from the years-long dispute between the IOC and the Russian-led IBA over alleged failures of governance and integrity, plus reliance on funding from state energy firm Gazprom.

The IOC has appointed officials to run boxing at two straight Summer Games and acknowledged Monday the tournament rules for Paris are “descended from” those in place eight years ago at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Boxing officials picked to run Paris qualifying and finals tournaments tried “to restrict amendments to minimize the impact on athletes' preparation and guaranteeing consistency between Olympic Games,” the IOC said.

The IOC-run database of about 10,700 athletes competing in Paris detailed both boxers' experiences at the 2023 worlds.

Khelif was disqualified “just hours before her gold medal showdown” against a Chinese opponent “after her elevated levels of testosterone failed to meet the eligibility criteria.” Lin “was stripped of her bronze medal (by the IBA) after failing to meet eligibility requirements based on the results of a biochemical test,” the IOC database stated.

Former men’s featherweight world champion Barry McGuigan termed it “shocking” that the two boxers were allowed to compete in the women’s category in Paris. He posted on social media, “it’s shocking that they were actually allowed to get this far.”

What IOC said

On July 29, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had defended the two boxers’ participation at the Paris Olympics.

“All athletes participating in the boxing tournament of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 comply with the competition's eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations,” the IOC had said in a statement.

“Everyone competing in the women's category is complying with the competition eligibility rules,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said on July 30 at the daily news conference by organisers of the Paris Olympics.

“They are women in their passports and it's stated that this is the case, that they are female,” Adams said.

“They are eligible by the rules of the federation which was set in 2016, and which worked for Tokyo too,” Adams said. “To compete as women, which is what they are. And we fully support that.” The IOC official said it would be “invidious and unfair” to discuss details of individual athletes.

After the controversy on Thursday, IOC issued a statement saying it is “saddened by the abuse” the two boxers were receiving.

“The IOC is saddened by the abuse that the two athletes are currently receiving,” the IOC said. “Every person has the right to practice sport without discrimination.”

India's Dutee Chand defends Khelif

Indian sprinter Dutee Chand was one of the very few, who have come out in support of Khelif.

“In 2014, I challenged the IOC’s rule that a person with a higher testosterone level should not participate in the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland. It was noted that hormonal level cannot increase athletic performance... I suffered a lot at that time,” Dutee told PTI.

“I faced a lot of controversy regarding my gender. Yesterday, during the Olympic match, (Angela) Carini gave up and now she is complaining about the Algerian boxer because of high testosterone levels. When you play in the Olympics, you undergo several tests. I don't think it is right to create controversy about this social media,” she added.