Angela Carini stopped her controversial Olympics boxing match with Imane Khelif in tears after just 46 seconds, taking a couple of hits from her opponent who failed a gender test last year.
Italian Carini did not acknowledge her opponent when Khelif attempted to approach her in the ring, as she dropped to the floor and sobbed while conceding defeat with a suspected broken nose.
Khelif, 25, is one of two athletes who have been cleared to compete in women’s boxing competitions after they were disqualified from last year’s Women’s World Championships for failing to meet eligibility criteria.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Khelif was disqualified in New Delhi for failing a testosterone level test.
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Two blows from the Algerian appeared to knock Carini’s chin strap off, before she moved to her corner and abandoned the contest, declaring Khelif the winner.
Speaking to Italian media after quitting their match, Carini said that she had “never felt a punch like it” when hit by Khelif and the “heartbroken” boxer was in Paris to “honour her father and represent her country”.
Khelif’s participation at the Olympics has been a source of controversy in Paris after being disqualified from the Women’s World Boxing Championships last year alongside Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting.
The Algerian Olympic committee claimed that the failed gender test that forced the disqualification was due to high testosterone levels, which they believe was caused by “medical reasons”.
“All athletes participating in the boxing tournament of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 comply with the competition’s eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations in accordance with rules 1.4 and 3.1 of the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit,” the IOC said in a statement.
“The PBU [Paris Boxing Unit] endeavoured to restrict amendments to minimise the impact on athletes’ preparation and guaranteeing consistency between Olympic Games.”
Sharron Davies, a Team GB silver medalist swimmer in 1990, reacted to Carini’s decision by describing her as “brave”. The 61-year-old on X (formerly known as Twitter) wrote: “What a disgrace #Paris2024. This brave soul on her knees in the ring.”
Both Khelif and Yin competed in Tokyo at the previous Olympics, losing in the first round, and had to provide a medical certificate in Paris that was “duly stamped and signed by relevant medical authority within the previous three months for all boxers”.
On Tuesday, IOC spokesperson Mark Adams addressed the controversy and said: “These athletes have competed many times before for many years, they haven’t just suddenly arrived – they competed in Tokyo.
“The federation needs to make the rules to make sure that there is fairness but at the same time there is the ability for everyone to take part that wants to. That is a difficult balance.
“In the end the experts for each sport are the people who work in that. If there is a big advantage that clearly is not acceptable, but that needs to be a decision made at that level.”
