It was already the subject of plenty of debate and now, after just 45 seconds and a single punch, the boxing world’s divide is only set to grow even wider.
It comes after Imane Khelif, who along with Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting was disqualified from the world championships last year, won her Round of 16 bout in stunning fashion.
The International Olympic Committee generated debate with its decision to allow the two boxers who failed testosterone and gender eligibility tests at the 2023 world championships to compete in Paris.
Khelif, a woman, won her fight on Thursday in swift fashion, landing a right hand early and went to capitalise with a flurry of punches, only for Italy’s Angela Carini to raise her hand to have her headgear checked.
She then talked to her coaches and shortly after returned to the centre of ring, where again Khelif landed a big right hand.
Then, in a shocking twist, Carini raised her glove once more and this time to withdraw from the fight before falling to the floor in tears.
Carini said post-fight: “I have never been hit so hard in my life. It’s up to the IOC to judge.”
Meanwhile Carini’s coach said: “I don’t know if her nose is broken. I have to speak with the girl. But many people in Italy tried to call and tell her: ‘Don’t go please: it’s a man, it’s dangerous for you.
The IOC released a statememnt on Friday morning, delcaring that “every person has the right to practise sport without discrimination”.
“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 set by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit (PBU),” the statement read.
“As with previous Olympic boxing competitions, the gender and age of the athletes are based on their passport.
“These rules also applied during the qualification period, including the boxing tournaments of the 2023 European Games, Asian Games, Pan American Games and Pacific Games, the ad hoc 2023 African qualifying tournament in Dakar (SEN) and two world qualifying tournaments held in Busto Arsizio (ITA) and Bangkok (THA) in 2024, which involved a total of 1,471 different boxers from 172 National Olympic Committees (NOCs), the Boxing Refugee Team and Individual Neutral Athletes, and featured over 2,000 qualification bouts.
“The PBU used the Tokyo 2020 boxing rules as a baseline to develop its regulations for Paris 2024. This was to minimise the impact on athletes’ preparations and guarantee consistency between Olympic Games. These Tokyo 2020 rules were based on the post-Rio 2016 rules, which were in place before the suspension of the boxing International Federation by the IOC in 2019 and the subsequent withdrawal of its recognition in 2023.
“We have seen in reports misleading information about two female athletes competing at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The two athletes have been competing in international boxing competitions for many years in the women’s category, including the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, International Boxing Association (IBA) World Championships and IBA-sanctioned tournaments.
“These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA. Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process.
“According to the IBA minutes available on their website, this decision was initially taken solely by the IBA Secretary General and CEO. The IBA Board only ratified it afterwards and only subsequently requested that a procedure to follow in similar cases in the future be established and reflected in the IBA Regulations. The minutes also say that the IBA should ‘establish a clear procedure on gender testing’.
“The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure – especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years.
“Such an approach is contrary to good governance.
“Eligibility rules should not be changed during ongoing competition, and any rule change must follow appropriate processes and should be based on scientific evidence.”
Australia’s Caitlin Parker, who is in the 75kg weight class and will not face Khelif or Lin, made her stance about the pair clear this week.
“I don’t agree with that being allowed, especially in combat sports as it can be incredibly dangerous,” she said.
Elsewhere, Algeria’s Olympic Committee condemned “unethical attacks” on Khelif ahead of her opening bout Khelif.
Algeria’s Olympic Committee (COA) said it “denounces in the strongest terms the malicious and unethical attacks directed against our distinguished athlete, Imane Khelif, by certain foreign media” in a statement released hours before her bout against Carini.
The COA hit out at “lies” that it said were “completely unfair”. “We are all with you, Imane,” it added. “The whole nation supports you.”
Khelif and Lin were disqualified from the 2023 world championships in New Delhi, which was run by the International Boxing Association (IBA).
The IOC website for accredited media in Paris said that the 25-year-old Khelif was disqualified after “elevated levels of testosterone failed to meet the eligibility criteria”.
Lin was stripped of her bronze medal after undergoing “biochemical” tests mandated by the IBA.
However, the International Olympic Committee is running the boxing in the French capital because of governance, financial and ethical issues at the IBA.
IOC spokesman Mark Adams told reporters this week: “Everyone competing in the women’s category… is complying with competition eligibility rules.
“They are women in their passports and it’s stated in there that they are female.”
The level of testosterone permitted in a woman’s body remains a point of contention in the sporting world.
