With all eyes on the 2024 Paris Olympics, one event on August 1, 2024, didn't go the way people expected. Just 46 seconds into the fight, Italian boxer Angela Carini chose to leave the ring, which meant that her opponent, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, was declared the winner. The moment has sparked controversy, including from those who believe that issues of gender are at play in this situation. But what really happened?
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As the Associated Press reported, Khelif and Carini's fight lasted less than a minute before Carini decided to bow out. At that point, the boxers only managed to get a couple of punches in.
“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 didn’t want to, I couldn’t finish the match,” Carini said.
After Khelif was declared the winner, Carini didn't shake her hand. Instead, she got down on her knees, crying.
“I am heartbroken because I am a fighter,” she said. “My father taught me to be a warrior. I have always stepped into the ring with honor and I have always [served] my country with loyalty. And this time I couldn’t do it because I couldn’t fight anymore, and so I ended the match.”
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There is now some controversy around Khelif, who was disqualified from the 2023 world championships of boxing after failing a gender test that measured elevated levels of testosterone. This has led to some people believing that she shouldn't be allowed to compete at the Olympics, claiming that she is unfairly matched up to other women like Carini.
Among those sharing that opinion is Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, who tweeted, "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."
However, as Business Insider reports, Khelif was assigned female at birth, and both her birth certificate and passport list her as female.
The Algerian Olympic Committee is defending Khelif and issued a statement on the situation, via Reuters.
"COA strongly condemns the unethical targeting and maligning of our esteemed athlete, Imane Khelif, with baseless propaganda from certain foreign media outlets," the statement said. "Such attacks on her personality and dignity are deeply unfair, especially as she prepares for the pinnacle of her career at the Olympics. The COA has taken all necessary measures to protect our champion."
