Olympic boxing storm could increase as second fighter starts women’s event as the top seed – after Italy’s Angela Carini quit in 46 seconds against Imane Khelif amid eligibility row
Controversy erupted in Olympic boxing when Algeria’s Imane Khelif won the women’s welterweight amid a row over eligibility requirements, and it could be repeated on Friday.
Khelif is one of two boxers disqualified from last year’s Women’s World Boxing Championships.
The International Boxing Association (IBA) – which has lost its recognition due to a series of governance problems – has disqualified Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting from the event.
Lin won a bronze medal in the women’s featherweight class at the world championships.
The 28-year-old had won three fights before losing in the semi-finals to Kazakhstan’s Karina Ibragimova.
Algeria’s Imane Khelif (left) has been cleared to compete in women’s boxing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, winning the welterweight bout when Angela Carini (right) retired
Lin Yu-ting, who like Khelif was disqualified from the Women’s World Championship last year, will enter the ring in the featherweight division on Friday
Lin will enter the boxing competition as the Asian Games champion and the highest ranked fighter
The IBA later stripped Lin of his medal, stating the boxer did not meet the eligibility requirements.
The IBA said in a statement on Wednesday that Lin and Khelif “did not meet the eligibility criteria to participate in the women’s competition.”
“This decision, taken after careful review, was extremely important and necessary to maintain the level of fairness and integrity of the competition,” the IBA said in a statement.
‘The athletes were not tested for testosterone, but a separate and recognized test, the details of which remain confidential.
‘This test conclusively demonstrated that both athletes did not meet the required eligibility criteria and that they had a competitive advantage over other female competitors.’
The IBA said the tests were conducted during the 2022 and 2023 World Championships and that Lin has not appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The IBA has not released details of the tests conducted, saying the “specific details remain confidential.”
Despite Lin’s disqualification, the boxer later competed at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Lin triumphed at the Asian Games last year, securing a spot at the second Olympic Games
The International Boxing Association, led by president Umar Kremlev, has disqualified both Lin and Khelif from the world championships for failing to pass the entry tests.
Lin won gold in the continental event by beating Ibragimova in the final in the Chinese city and thus qualified for the second Olympic Games.
The fighter had lost to eventual silver medallist Nesthy Petecio of the Philippines at Tokyo 2020 – who Lin also defeated en route to the Asian Games title.
Lin will represent Taiwan – better known as Chinese Taipei at the Olympics – in the 57 kilogram featherweight event.
The two-time gold medalist at the World and Asian Championships, who reportedly has 40 wins and 14 losses in his amateur career, is considered the highest-ranked player in the event.
The 28-year-old’s opening bout is against Sitora Turdibekova of Uzbekistan, who won her first fight via split decision over Marcelat Sakobi Matshu of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Lin’s entrance into the ring follows the controversy surrounding Khelif’s participation and victory on Thursday morning.
The Algerian boxer defeated Angela Carini in the first round of their welterweight bout. The Italian gave up the match after 46 seconds after being struck twice.
“I went into the ring to fight,” Carini said, according to Italian news agency ANSA. “I didn’t give up, but a blow hurt too much and so I said enough. I’m leaving with my head held high.”
The Italian boxer claimed before the match that she could “only adapt to the rules of the Olympic Games”.
“I am no one to judge and I have nothing against my opponent. I had a task and I carried it out, even if she did not make it,” Carini added to the Official Gazette of Sports.
‘Everything that happened before the match had absolutely no influence.’
According to feminist website Reduxx, both Lin and Khelif suffer from difference of sex development (DSD), a set of medical conditions diagnosed at birth in which the genitals are atypical in relation to chromosomes.
Ahead of Khelif’s first fight in Paris 2024, the COA condemned “unfounded attacks” on their boxer.
Carini was hit twice in the opening round but was forced to retire after 46 seconds
The Italian boxer fell to her knees after giving up and was seen crying in the ring
Algerian team has responded to ‘unfounded attacks’ against Khelif ahead of competition
‘COA strongly condemns the unethical targeted and defamatory statements of our esteemed athlete, Imane Khelif, with unfounded propaganda from certain foreign media.
“Such attacks on her personality and dignity are deeply unfair, especially now that she is preparing for the pinnacle of her career at the Olympic Games. The COA has taken all necessary measures to protect our champion.”
IOC spokesman Mark Adams warned of a “witch hunt” against the two boxers who were cleared to compete in Paris and criticized the inaccurate reporting. He stressed that the cases are not a transgender issue.
Adams had called for the rhetoric to be “scaled back”, adding that they were “completely comfortable with the rules” previously used at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics.