A boxing round lasts 3 minutes and consists of three rounds.
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who failed a gender suitability test last year, knocked out their Italian opponent in 46 seconds in the women’s 66kg boxing category and has drawn the ire of Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, who said the fight was ‘not on an equal footing.”
Harry Potter author JK Rowling responded to the gender row during the competition, saying: “Explain why you are okay with a man hitting a woman in public for your entertainment.”
Italian Angela Carini was distraught, she fell to her knees and sobbed in the middle of the ring after the defeat and did not shake hands with Khelif, who entered the quarter-finals in the category after the victory.
A boxing round lasts 3 minutes and there are three rounds in each round, but the Algerian boxer landed two powerful punches, knocking out Carini in just 46 seconds. The Italian boxer was unable to get up after her nose was hit and started bleeding.
“I have a lot of pain in my nose and I said: ‘Stop’. It’s better not to continue. My nose started dripping (with blood) from the first blow,” said the distressed Carini.
Imane Khelif (red) vs. Angela Carini (blue)
Photo credits: Photo credits: AFP
The Italian Prime Minister said: “I believe that athletes with male genetic characteristics should not be admitted to women’s competitions. And not because you want to discriminate against anyone, but to protect the right of female athletes to compete on equal terms.”
“I was emotional yesterday when she wrote ‘I will fight’ because dedication, head and character certainly play a role in these things. But then it is also important to be able to compete on equal grounds and from my heart. From my point of view, it was not an equal fight,” Ms. Meloni added.
What is the controversy?
The International Olympic Committee allowed two boxers, who failed gender eligibility tests for the World Boxing Championships, to be eligible to compete in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Last year, the Algerian boxer was disqualified hours before her gold medal match at the Women’s World Cup in Delhi. Algerian media reported that Khelif was disqualified due to high levels of testosterone in her system.
Taiwan’s two-time world champion Lin Yu-ting lost her bronze medal at the same competition after she too failed to meet the criteria.
Umar Kremlev, president of amateur boxing, told Russian news agency TASS: “DNA tests of two boxers proved that they have XY chromosomes and were therefore excluded.” XY is the male chromosome and XX is for females.
Reem Alsalem, the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, wrote on X that “Angela Carini rightly followed her instincts and prioritized her physical safety, but she and other female athletes should not have been exposed to this physical and psychological violence based on their gender.”
#Angelacarini rightly followed her instincts and prioritized her physical safety, but she and other female athletes should not have been exposed to these physical and psychological problems.
Violence based on their gender.— Reem Alsalem UNSR Violence against Women and Girls (@UNSRVAW) August 1, 2024
The World Championships were organized by the International Boxing Association (IBA) and were not recognized by the International Olympic Committee due to financial transparency.
The IOC said where the prize money comes from at the International Boxing Association was unclear and is one of the reasons why they withdrew recognition from the IBA.
“The IBA was unwilling to transparently explain the sources of its financing, or to explain its complete financial dependence at the time on one state-owned company, Gazprom,” the IOC said.
The boxing competition at the Paris Olympic Games is organized by the Paris Boxing Unit (PBU), an ad hoc unit of the IOC Executive Board.
IOC spokesman Mark Adams said: “Anyone competing in the women’s category complies with the eligibility rules. Their passport lists women and it states they are female.”
Nations support their boxers
As expected, the Algerian and Taiwanese boxers have received support from their countries’ leaders. Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said, “Yu-ting’s performances have inspired many Taiwanese players and united the Taiwanese people. Now that she is back on the international stage, we should be united and cheer her on.”
The Alegria Olympic Committee called it a “malicious and unethical attack directed against our leading athlete, Imane Khelif, by certain foreign media.”
The IBA clarified in a statement that Khelif initially appealed the IBA ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), but later withdrew it during the process, making their decision legally binding.
However, Lin Yu-ting did not appeal the decision, making it legally binding.
“The IOC’s divergent regulations on these matters, which do not involve IBA, raise serious questions about both fair competition and athlete safety. “To clarify why the IOC allows athletes with competitive advantages to participate in their events, we urge interested parties to seek answers directly from the IOC,” said the IBA.
‘Explain why you think it’s okay for a man to hit a woman’
Harry Potter author JK Rowling gave her thoughts on the gender row during the competition, saying: “Explain why you are okay with a man hitting a woman in public for your entertainment. This is not a sport. From the bullying “I’m putting the money on the organizers who allowed this to happen: these are men who enjoy their power over women.”
Kirsty Burrows, head of the Safe Sport Unit at the IOC, said at a press conference: “The Paris 2024 Olympic Games will provide the most comprehensive package of mental health and protection initiatives than any other Olympic or sporting event in history. ”
A young female boxer just had everything she worked and trained for taken away because you let a man get in the ring with her. You are a disgrace, your ‘protection’ is a joke and #Paris24 will forever be tarnished by the brutal injustice done to Carini. https://t.co/JMKzVljpyr
— JK Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 1, 2024
Ms Burrows’ comments had nothing to do with the incident at the boxing match, but Ms Rowling commented, saying: “A young female boxer has just had everything she has worked and trained for taken away because you let a man in the ring with her come. You’re a man.” shame, your ‘protection’ is a joke and the 24th day of Paris will forever be tarnished by the brutal injustice done to Carini.”
