ANGELA CARINI revealed why she withdrew from her controversial fight against Imane Khelif.
The Italian fought her opponent, who had previously failed the gender test, for just 46 seconds before throwing in the towel.
3
3
Carini, 25, was hit twice in the face in the first round and after the first blow she walked to the corner to apparently adjust her chin strap.
But after Khelif, 25, landed a second powerful blow, the fight ended abruptly.
Carini then refused to greet and shake hands with the Algerian after the referee announced the winner of the 66kg welterweight bout.
She then fell to her knees and began to cry.
Khelif’s presence at the Olympics was considered controversial as she was disqualified from last year’s Women’s World Championship for not meeting the eligibility criteria.
The International Olympic Committee said Khelif was disqualified in New Delhi for failing a testosterone level test.
She is one of two athletes allowed to compete in Paris along with Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan, who was stripped of a bronze medal at the World Championships after failing a gender eligibility test.
Opening up about his decision to quit, Carini said through an Italian journalist who translated the responses: “I have never felt a punch like that.
“I’m a warrior, but I preferred to stop for my health.
“I went to the ring to honor my father.
“I’m heartbroken. I have a lot of pain in my nose and blood on my finger.”
Regarding Khelif’s inclusion in the Games, Carini added: “The decision was up to the Olympics, not me, whether this opponent should fight.”
Italy’s family minister Eugenia Roccella and sports minister Andrea Abodi raised concerns about eligibility rules ahead of today’s fight.
But the Algerian Olympic Committee defended Khelif’s participation.
Gender controversy at the Olympics
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) provoked a huge controversy by releasing two women to boxing who had already failed a gender test.
Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan were disqualified at the Women’s World Championships in New Delhi, India in March 2023.
Lin Yu-ting was stripped of the bronze medal after failing a gender eligibility test.
Khelif was disqualified in New Delhi for failing a testosterone level test.
Authorities discovered that tests showed they had “XY chromosomes” – which indicates a person is biologically male.
Rare ‘intersex’ medical conditions, medically known as differences in sexual development (DDS), can also mean that apparently female individuals can have ‘male’ chromosomes, or vice versa.
The Russian-led International Boxing Association organized this event, but it is no longer recognized by the IOC.
IOC spokesman Mark Adams said: “These athletes have competed many times over many years, they didn’t arrive suddenly – they competed in Tokyo.
“The federation needs to define the rules to ensure that there is fairness, but at the same time there is the ability for everyone who wants to participate. That’s a difficult balance.
“Ultimately, the experts in each sport are the people working on it. If there is a big advantage, that’s clearly not acceptable, but that needs to be a decision made at that level.”
Both Khelif and Lin competed at the delayed 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Lin is a two-time winner of the Asian Women’s Amateur Boxing Championship.
The IOC said all boxers in Paris “comply with competition eligibility and entry regulations.”
The controversy follows the famous case of Caster Semenya.
South African middle-distance runner Semenya has a condition that causes her body to naturally produce higher levels of testosterone than is normal for women.
She won gold in the 800m in London 2012 and Rio in 2016, but was unable to compete in Tokyo in 2021 after World Athletics introduced new rules independently of the IOC at the time.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
