Boxer Overcomes Gender Test Controversy, Wins Olympic Bout in 46 Seconds

Algeria’s Imani Khalif won her first Olympic boxing bout on Thursday when Italy’s Angela Carini was stopped after just 46 seconds.

Khali was disqualified from the 2023 World Championships after failing an unspecified gender eligibility test, and her presence at the Paris Olympics has become a divisive issue. There is no indication that she identifies as transgender.

Only a few punches were exchanged between Carini and Khalif before Carini dropped the bout, an extremely rare occurrence in Olympic boxing. Carini’s headgear was apparently removed twice before he left.

Carini refused to shake Khalif’s hand after the Olympic verdict was announced and broke down in tears before leaving.

Afterwards, a tearful Karini said she left work due to severe pain after the punches, which started in the nose. Karini, whose torso was covered in blood, said she was not making a political statement and was not refusing to fight Khalif.

“I felt a sharp 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. .

Khalif is an amateur boxer who won a silver medal at the 2022 International Boxing Association World Championships. The same governing body disqualified him from last year’s championships shortly before his gold medal match because he claimed to have high testosterone levels.

The 25-year-old entered the ring to cheers at the North Paris Arena, but the crowd was upset by the sudden end of the bout.

Carini added that she was not qualified to decide whether Khalif should be allowed to compete, but that she had no problem fighting him.

“I’m not here to judge or pass judgment,” Carini said. “If an athlete is like that, and in that sense it’s not right or right, it’s not for me to decide. I just did my job as a boxer. I got in the ring and fought, I did it with my head high and a broken heart for not finishing the last kilometer.

Khalif is an amateur boxer who won a silver medal at the 2022 International Boxing Association World Championships. The same governing body disqualified him from last year’s championships shortly before his gold medal match because he claimed to have high testosterone levels.

The 25-year-old entered the ring to cheers at the North Paris Arena, but the crowd was upset by the sudden end of the bout. Khalif, who fights again on Saturday, did not speak to reporters.

“I’m heartbroken because I’m a fighter,” Carini 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. Didn’t do it because I couldn’t fight anymore and so I ended the match.

Taiwan’s Khalif and Lin Yueting suddenly found themselves under massive scrutiny for their presence in Paris after years of amateur competition. Lin won the IBA World Championships in 2018 and 2022, but the governing body stripped her of her bronze medal last year after she claimed she failed to meet unspecified eligibility requirements in a biochemical test.

The Algerian Olympic Committee issued a statement on Wednesday in which it condemned the “false” and “immoral targeting and defamation of our respected athlete Imani Khalif, reported by some foreign media outlets. base propaganda.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Maloney, who was visiting Italy’s athletes at the Olympic Village on Thursday, criticized Carini for boxing Khalif, saying he had “genetically male” features from 2021. has opposed allowing pregnant athletes to compete against women;

“We have to realize that in trying not to discriminate, we’re actually discriminating against women’s rights,” Maloney said.

He said that it is important to guarantee the rights of the players so they are competing on a level playing field.

“What matters in these things is your dedication, your head and your character, but it also counts for a balance of arms,” ​​Maloney said.

Khalif and Lin are two-time Olympians who competed in the Tokyo Games without controversy. Lynn has been an elite-level amateur boxer for a decade, and Khalif for six years. He was allowed to compete in Paris by the IOC Task Force, which has run the last two Olympic boxing tournaments.

The IOC defended its right to compete on Tuesday. Olympic boxing reached gender parity for the first time this year, with 124 men and 124 women competing in Paris.

“Everyone competing in the women’s category is complying with the competition eligibility rules,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said. “They are women in their passports and it says that this is the case, that they are women.”

Lynn is the top seed in the 57 kg category, although Olympic seeding does not often indicate the top medal contenders in a division.

Several sports have updated their gender rules in the past three years, including World Aquatics, World Athletics and the International Cycling Union. The track body had also tightened rules on athletes last year with differences in gender development.

The IOC said it made eligibility decisions for boxers based on gender rules that were implemented at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

The IOC is in charge of boxing in Paris as the IBA has been banned from the last two Olympics due to years of governance problems, a lack of financial transparency and numerous instances of corruption in judging and refereeing.

The IOC has revoked the Olympic status of the IBA, which is controlled by president Umar Kremlinev, who is Russian. It brought in Russian state-owned Gazprom as its primary sponsor and moved most of IBA’s operations to Russia.

The IBA has since lost more than three dozen members to form a new group, World Boxing, to be recognized by the IOC as the sport’s governing body ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Hope to.

The IBA has aggressively seized on the presence of boxers in Paris to criticize the IOC. After the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld the IOC’s ban earlier this year, the IBA appealed to the Swiss Federal Tribunal.

The banning body issued a statement on Wednesday in which it claimed the two boxers had not had a “testosterone test” last year but were “subject to a separate and recognized test” for their disqualification. The IBA declined to elaborate, saying the test’s “specifics remain confidential.”

Women’s boxers have been asked repeatedly this week about Khalif and Lin. Many have expressed concern, while others have called for further consideration of the clearly complex issue.

I disagree, especially in combat sports, because it can be incredibly dangerous,” Australian middleweight Caitlin Parker said. “But right now, I’m focused on getting through each fight. Not that I haven’t sparred with guys before, but it can be dangerous for combat sports, and should be seriously considered. It’s good that these things are coming out, and being put in the spotlight for further consideration.

“Biologically and genetically, they’re going to have more advantages. War games can be dangerous. That’s what fairness is about. We all want fairness in sports.”