The entire sports fraternity and fans on social media have gone into a heated flow of reactions after Italian boxer Angela Carini abandoned her welterweight round of 16 bout against Algeria's Imane Khelif after 46 seconds on Thursday, August 1 at the Paris Olympics. Both fans and high-profile personalities have since engaged in some heated debate, specifically due to Khelif’s previous record of failing a gender eligibility test at the 2023 World Championships.
Carini, after a 30-second discussion with her coach, returned to the ring and refused to continue fighting against Khelif. After her forfeiture from the game, the Italian revealed that the punches from Khelif were the hardest she had ever faced in her career. In the very first seconds of the game, Carini's chin-strap was dislodged after a punch from the Algerian, which even left her shorts splashed with blood.
Khelif, who won the silver medal in the 2022 World Championship, was disqualified only hours before her gold medal bout in New Delhi last year when she did not meet the International Boxing Association's (IBA) eligibility criteria. However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC)gave a green light to Khelif for her participation in the Games.
INTERNET WEIGHS IN ON CONTROVERSY
Italy’s Family Minister Eugenia Roccella and Sports Minister Andrea Abodi have questioned the IOC regarding their eligibility criteria. Meanwhile, the likes of even Elon Musk and even JK Rowling have highlighted Khelif’s past records, calling her appearance at the Games 'unjust'.
On the other hand, many users have also spoken in favour of Khelif, citing her long-time involvement in the sport in the recognition of a woman.
The IOC even released a statement on the controversial issue, where they justified the involvement of Khelif in the category.
“What I would say is that this involves real people and we are talking about real people’s lives here...They have competed and they continue to compete in the women’s competition. They have lost and they have won against other women over the years,” IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said on Thursday.
