Revealed: What Italian opponent of ‘biological male’ boxer at centre of Olympics row told her corner after she WITHDREW from fight against Imane Khelif after just 46 seconds in Paris
- Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has taken part in the women’s welterweight event
- She won her first fight after her opponent withdrew after just 46 seconds
- A lip reader has now revealed what was said before the fight was called off
According to reports, a lip reader has revealed what Imane Khelif’s opponent said after he pulled out of their boxing match on Thursday afternoon.
Khelif is one of two boxers eligible to compete in the Olympics, despite being banned from last year’s world championships because he is biologically male.
Amid the debate over the eligibility requirements, the Algerian has now won her first fight at the Games after her Italian opponent Angela Carini gave up the fight after 46 seconds.
Carini was hit twice by Khelif in the opening round of their women’s welterweight title fight in Paris before withdrawing.
According to Sports magazineA lip reader claimed that Carini told her that “it hurt like hell” when she was punched by Khelif.
Imane Khelif, one of two boxers involved in an Olympic qualifying row, won her first boxing match of the Games after her opponent withdrew in the opening round on Thursday
Khelif hit Angela Carini with two hard punches before the match was called
A lip reader has now revealed what Carini told her after the fight was broken up
She said afterwards: ‘I got the second blow on my nose and it hurt so much, I didn’t want to continue. Did I let the media case influence me? No, I was here to win my Olympics. Giving up was a gesture of maturity, not surrender.’
The Italian boxer, who claimed before the match that she could “only adapt to the rules of the Olympic Games”, was subsequently seen crying in the middle of the ring after the match’s abrupt end.
Khelif’s participation in the event sparked controversy after she was disqualified from last year’s Women’s Boxing World Championship.
The Olympic Games website reported that Khelif was disqualified hours before a gold medal match against China’s Yang Liu in New Delhi because her elevated testosterone levels did not meet eligibility criteria.
The Algerian Olympic Committee (COA) responded by saying the disqualification was part of a “conspiracy” to prevent them from winning a gold medal. According to the COA, there were “medical reasons” behind the high testosterone levels.
Lin Yu-Ting from Taiwan was also disqualified from the world championships.
According to feminist website Reduxx, both sexes are thought to suffer from difference in sex development (DSD), a set of medical conditions diagnosed at birth in which the genitals are atypical in relation to chromosomes.
The International Boxing Association (IBA) said in a statement on Wednesday that the decisions were made “after careful assessment.”
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
The IBA stated that neither athlete had suffered a sports injury. testosterone tests, but were instead “subject to a separate and recognised test” administered at their 2022 and 2023 world championships.
It is claimed that the tests ‘conclusively demonstrated that both athletes did not meet the required eligibility criteria’, with both boxers ‘appeared to have a competitive advantage over other female competitors.’
The IBA hit out at the IOC, saying its rules were a deviation from the rules.raise serious questions about both the fairness of the competition and the safety of the athletes.’
The IBA is not responsible for the IOC withdrawing its recognition of the Olympic competition due to ongoing governance problems. The organization has established the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit to organize the event.