By Anna Akopyan • Updated: 06 Aug 2024 • 10:10 • 3 minutes read
Angela Carini´s Olympic defeat Credit: GeeFromNY, X
Italian boxer Angela Carini quit her Olympic battle against the Algerian Imane Khelif, a fighter who previously failed a gender test; “I have never been hit so hard in my life.”
The 25-year-old Italian boxer, Carini lasted 46 seconds in a rink with Khelif, after receiving her opponent´s forceful opening punch. “I have never been hit so hard in my life,” confessed Carini. “After the second punch, after years of experience, I felt a strong pain in the nose. I said enough because I couldn´t finish the fight. So it was better to put an end to it.”
Angela Carini was seen breaking down in tears after losing her chance at an Olympic medal. She revealed that she had a nosebleed afterwards. “My face and nose were hurting. I couldn´t breathe anymore. I thought about my family, I looked at my brother in the stands and I went to my corner to retire. I´ve never been hit with such a powerful punch.”
The fighter dreamt about winning the Olympic medal to honour her late father and coach, who died shortly after Carini participated in the Tokyo Games in 2021. Winner of silver medals at both the world and European championships in 2019, Carini was also a gold medallist at the European youth championships. She commented; “My brother and my father taught me boxing. I owe everything to them.”
After the referee raised Khelif´s hand in victory, Carini refused to shake it. Her gesture, in turn, unintentionally provoked a global debate about gender eligibility in sports competitions.
Imane Khelif was disqualified from last year´s world championship after failing a gender eligibility test; the Algerian boxer is one of the two athletes permitted to participate in the Olympics despite being disqualified from the women´s world championship.
Carini commented about her cease of the fight; “I managed to leave with my head held high. I´m a mature woman; when I feel I cannot continue, it´s having the dignity to say enough.” When questioned about her refusal to shake Khelif´s hand, she said; “I want to apologize to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke. I don´t have anything against Khelif. Actually, if I were to meet her again I would embrace her.”
Khelif, on her side, said only; “I am here for gold. I will fight anybody, I will fight them all.”
In today´s Olympics, both Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan are competing in the women´s boxing category. This is despite the International Boxing Association president Umar Kremlev´s previous statement that their DNA tests had “proved they had XY chromosomes and were thus excluded.”
XY chromosomes are the combination present in men while XX is the combination in women. The International Olympic Committee denied the relevance of these tests; “As with previous Olympic boxing competitions, the gender and age of the athletes are based on their passport.”
IOC spokesman Mark Adams commented; “They´ve been competing in boxing for a very long time. They´ve achieved all the eligibility requirements in terms of sex and age.”
He added about gender tests; “What I would say is the testosterone test is not a perfect test. Many women can have testosterone, even what would be called ´male levels´ and still be women and still compete as women.”
The incident prompted divided responses from athletes and authorities. The Olympic 2021 Irish Gold Medalist Kellie Harrington announced that she will “refuse” to compete against any boxers who are biological males at this Olympics. A female athlete Marshi Smith similarly expressed concern to the Press; “to see a woman violently punched in the head by a man for Olympic sport, to cheering crowds, I cannot understate how despicable that is.”
The UN special rapporteur on violence against women Reem Alsalem wrote on X; “Angela Carini rightly followed her instincts and prioritised her physical safety, but she and other female athletes should not have been exposed to this physical and psychological violence based on their sex.”
Even the Italian PM, Giorgia Meloni took her frustration to X; “I think that athletes who have male genetic characteristics should not be admitted to women´s competitions…from my point of view it was not an even contest.”
In a competition that promotes “solidarity and fair play,” how far do the Olympic Games stay consistent with their values?
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From Moscow to Costa Blanca, Anna has spent over 10 years in Spain and one year in Berlin, where she worked as an actress and singer. Covering European news, Anna´s biggest passions are writing and travelling.
This was a complete farce, I took one look at the guy and that is what I saw, I saw a MAN, every part of his body was male, everyone knew this so why was this disgusting performance allowed. What I do not understand is why every woman does not walk out of any Sports even where they allow this nonsense to happen. There are only 2 sexes, male and female. There is no 3rd sex, no 4th sex, there is no 5th sex, there is only male and female, the Chromosones will tell you which one you are if you are in any doubt. During Covid the daft Lefties and Wokies were quick to say follow the science (ha ha ha) How we have allowed the crazies to dictate to us that men can be women is unbelievable. It cannot be done, if you are born a man you are a man, but this is about destroying families, thats all and I understand a lot of men enjoy wearing woman´s panties, This issue can be solved easily. Our usless governments are full of cross dressers and transversites, Ladyboys etc so it is difficult as this stupidity allows these weirdows to enter the public domain but they can pass a law stating your gender for life is what your birth certificates say, either male of female. But if you want to wear your wife´s panties you can do so. Problem solved. No man should be allowed to take part in a female only sport., utter madness.
Yes she was absolutely right. A transgender man identifying as a woman should never Be allowed to compete against a woman
Let this be the last Olympics that this is allowed to happen, absolutely appalling insult to Angela Carini.
I feel so sorry for this female boxer this match was clearly unfair everything she worked for over the years was stolen from her in less than 60 seconds. Women athlete’s are their own worst enemies they all should show complete solidarity and boycott the games but they still reluctantly go along with this farce which only turns this nonsense into the norm. You can no more change your sex than you can change your race. If adult male wants to wear female clothing and undergo plastic surgery to give them the appearance of a woman they already have freedom to do this, the vast majority of people don’t care until trans feelings are pushed onto others this is where people draw the line. We need to ban biological men from women’s sport we need to restore this obvious reality.
She was completely right in what she did! She was expected to fight against a man and that is so very wrong!! Women should fight women and men fight men! No matter how someone feels they want to live the reality of their sex is what really matters!!
I agree entirely with Maria Prego. How the IOC can say your Passport identifies what sex you are is utterly rediculous. A new Passport can be issued with new details at any time. Including your new “supposed” gender. This IOC official needs to be on the receiving end if a pro boxers right hook to see what it might feel like for a woman boxer facing a man.
The Olympic committee decided the XY, XX chromosome tests were to be thrown aside and ignored because women can have testosterone levels as high as men???!! Seriously? A DNA test doesn’t lie and has nothing to do with testosterone levels! If it’s XY chromosomes it’s a MALE PERIOD! They should all be removed from their jobs for putting the lives of REAL women in jeopardy. I agree the REAL women should stand in solidarity and boycott any future competitions where males are allowed to compete in women’s sporting events.
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