Hungary and Bulgaria launch protest against Imane Khelif ahead of her bout against Anna Luca Hamori today – as Algerian Olympic committee files formal complaint over athlete’s treatment in ‘heinous hate campaign’

The Algerian Olympic Committee has filed a formal complaint with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over the treatment of its boxer Imane Khelif.

This comes after the Hungarian Boxing Federation and the Bulgarian Olympic Committee contacted the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to object to her participation in the 2024 Games.

Khelif came under heavy criticism after her victory over Angela Carini in the round of 16 of the women’s welterweight at the Paris Olympics. The Italian boxer was forced to withdraw from the bout after just 46 seconds.

Controversy arose when it emerged that Khelif had failed the International Boxing Association (IBA) eligibility tests ahead of the 2023 Women’s World Championship.

However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which oversees boxing at the 2024 Games but did not organize the world championships, gave Khelif permission to compete in Paris.

Khelif (left in red) was heavily criticized after her victory over Angela Carini at the Olympic Games in Paris. The Italian boxer withdrew from the match after just 46 seconds.

Dejected Italian fighter Carini (pictured) fell to her knees and cried after the match took place

The dispute, which revolves around gender identity, fairness in competition and the integrity of Olympic sports, came to light after the spat between Khelif and Carini.

The situation escalated further when Khelif’s upcoming opponent, Anna Luca Hamori, posted a series of derogatory comments about her online. In response, the Algerian Olympic and Sports Committee filed an official complaint with the IOC.

“The Algerian Olympic and Sports Committee concludes, based on knowledge of national and international public opinion, that this is a follow-up to the official complaint filed today by our Olympic body to the International Olympic Committee,” the statement said.

‘Concerning the violation and serious breach of sports ethics and the Olympic Charter, in the person of our champion Iman Khalif, by one of the participants in the boxing tournament for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

‘The International Olympic Committee has issued a final apology to the offenders and ordered them to remove all posts related to our heroine Iman Khalif. We reserve the right to prosecute anyone who participated in the atrocious campaign against the heroine Iman Khalif. Good luck to our heroine and long live Algeria.’

Meanwhile, the Hungarian Boxing Federation and the Bulgarian Olympic Committee have contacted the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to object to Khalif’s participation in the 2024 Games.

“Our federation has informed the Hungarian Olympic Committee of our objections to the participation of the Algerian athlete,” the Hungarian Federation (MOB) said. “The MOB is continuously examining the means it can use to protect Hamori’s rights to fair competition under the applicable rules.”

The statement continued: ‘The President of the MOB immediately entered into discussions with the IOC Director of Sport to clarify the situation.’

Khelif will face Hamori later today.

The Algerian is one of two athletes (alongside Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting) who have been cleared to compete at the 2024 Paris Games after she was disqualified from last year’s Women’s World Championships for reportedly failing a gender eligibility test.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), which oversees boxing at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris but did not organize the world championships, said Khelif was disqualified in India due to elevated testosterone levels.

However, after receiving a bye in the first round of the Olympics, Khelif, who also competed in the Tokyo Games, faced criticism after her fight with Italian boxer Carini.

Within the first 30 seconds of their clash, Carini was punched in the face and went to her corner to have her headgear adjusted by her coach. Reports say she broke her nose in the process.

Although she continued briefly, Carini barely threw a punch before telling her opponent, “It’s not fair,” and then abandoning the match “for her own safety,” immediately dropping to her knees and crying.

‘I couldn’t finish the game. I felt a severe pain in my nose and I said [to myself] “Because I have so much experience and maturity as a woman, I hope my country doesn’t take it the wrong way, and my father doesn’t take it the wrong way. But I quit, I said to myself I have to quit,” Carini told BBC Sport after the fight.

Team Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori (pictured) celebrates her victory in the preliminary round of the women’s 66kg event against Marissa Williamson

In the lead-up to her match on Saturday, Hamori shared several posts on her Instagram Story about Khelif, including an image of a petite woman facing off against a muscular beast in boxing gloves

‘It could have been the match of my life, but I also had to save my life at that moment. I had no fear, I’m not afraid of the ring. I’m not afraid of taking punches. But this time everything comes to an end, and I ended this match because I wasn’t able to [continue].

After the match was stopped, the referee raised Khelif’s hand in the air. But a visibly angry Carini tore her own hand away from the referee and walked away.

During the fast-paced fight, Carini took two punches from Khelif and said the sheer force of the blows made it “impossible to continue.”

The Italian fighter ignored the Algerian and stopped the match. She knelt and burst into tears. She later said that she had never felt such hard blows during a match.

After the match, the broken Italian said: ‘I’m used to suffering. I’ve never had such a blow, it’s impossible to continue. I’m not someone who says it’s illegal.

“I stepped into the ring to fight. But after the first minute I didn’t feel like it anymore. I started to feel a severe pain in my nose. I didn’t give up, but one punch hurt too much and so I said enough. I’m leaving with my head held high.”

She said she did not withdraw from the fight in protest of her opponent’s participation, but that it was a decision for the Olympics to consider.

When asked why she knelt at the end of the race, she replied that she did so for her late father, who passed away in 2021. She then added: “I’m sorry I couldn’t put Italy on the podium.”

She was taken for a medical examination to assess the severity of her facial injuries, including a bruised nose, and then apologized for her actions to Khelif.

“All this controversy makes me sad,” Carini said. “I also feel sorry for my opponent. … If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision. It was not something I planned to do. [ignoring the handshake].

“I actually want to apologize to her and everyone. I was angry because my Olympics went up in smoke. I have nothing against Khelif. If I ever met her again, I would hug her.”