A biological man from Tunisia, Imane Khelif, defeated Angela Carini in under one minute during a boxing match at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Carini is a biological woman from Italy. The Italian Olympian dropped to her knees after losing and broke down crying. Carini stated that she had never been hit so hard before.
Khelif is no stranger to controversy. Last year, the International Boxing Association barred two biological males, Imane Khelif and Lin-Yu Ting of Taiwan, from competing over a failed gender test. Both of the female-identifying male boxers submitted samples for a test that returned them as having XY chromosomes, which is impossible for biological women to have.
The International Olympic Committee does not recognize the IBA’s opinion regarding the eligibility of boxers. The IOC has an internal organization that presides over boxing, and that is how it determines who can compete against whom. The reason the IOC allows biological men to compete against women is unclear. However, many celebrities and political figures, including Elon Musk and Donald Trump, have spoken out against the barbaric and unscientific practice.
SOURCES:
Boxers previously barred from women’s events will fight in Paris Olympics
Boxer Imane Khelif, previously barred from women’s events, wins first Paris Olympics fight
Italian Boxer Angela Carini Quits Olympic Bout, Sparking Gender Furor – The New York Times
The Shameful Controversy Over Olympic Boxer Imane Khelif | WIRED
Boxer Imane Khelif, who faced gender-eligibility claim, wins Olympic bout – The Washington Post
Paris Olympics: Italy’s Angela Carini abandons fight with Algeria’s Imane Khelif, who failed gender test, after 46 seconds – Yahoo Sports
Imane Khelif, Algeria boxer who had gender test issue, wins first Olympic fight | AP News
Boxing-Two boxers who failed gender tests at World Championships cleared for Games | Reuters
