Telegraph- Female boxer feared for life during brutal 46-second fight against opponent who failed gender test
Female boxer feared for life during brutal 46-second fight against opponent who failed gender test
In one of the most shaming episodes in Olympic history, Italy’s Angela Carini was forced after only 46 seconds to abandon a fight out of fear for her life against an Algerian boxer who had failed two gender tests, claiming she had been hit so hard by Imane Khelif that she “couldn’t breathe any more”.
A bout that had already detonated ferocious controversy, with the International Olympic Committee under intense pressure to justify how a woman could be allowed to enter a boxing ring uncertain of the sex of the person she was facing, tipped into outrage as Carini claimed that she had never received such powerful punches.
A first punch from Khelif, who was thrown out of last year’s World Championships after failing biochemical tests for testosterone, dislodged Carini’s chinstrap before a second smashed against her chin and spattered blood over her shorts. There were suggestions her nose had been broken.
Falling to the canvas in desolation, she said in a highly emotional post-fight interview: “I am heartbroken. I went into the ring to honour my father. I was told a lot of times that I was a warrior but I preferred to stop for my health. I have never felt a punch like this.
“I got into the ring and did my duty as a boxer and tried to fight irrespective of any controversy or anything else. I wanted to win. After the second blow to the nose, I couldn’t breathe anymore. I went to my coach and said ‘enough’ because it takes maturity and courage to stop. I didn’t feel like fighting anymore.”
Khelif stopped only very briefly in the interview area, declaring alongside the Italian delegation: “I am here for gold. I’ll fight anyone.”
The defiance formed the most vivid contrast with Carini’s devastation. “I wasn’t able to finish the match,” she said. “I felt a strong pain in my nose and I said to myself that for the experience I have and the maturity as a woman that I have, that I would stop. I hope my nation won’t take it badly, I hope my dad won’t take it badly. It could have been the match of a lifetime, but I had to preserve my life as well in that moment.”
Khelif was banned from competing in a gold-medal bout in Delhi by the International Boxing Association, who said that the fighter’s “elevated levels of testosterone failed to meet the eligibility criteria”. And yet she was still permitted by the IOC to fight at these Olympics and the difference in punching power was clear from the beginning, with the Italian taking two blows to the face and signalling that she could not carry on. According to Italian media, she said to her corner: “It’s not fair.”
Emanuele Renzini, Carini’s coach, insisted that the decision to quit the bout had not been planned in advance. “It would have been easier not to show up, because all of Italy had been asking her not to fight for days,” he said. “But Angela was motivated and wanted to do it. Of course, when she met her opponent at the draw, she said, ‘It’s not fair.’ But there was no premeditation here today. She quit after taking one punch, she told me she didn’t feel she could fight. I tried to tell her at least to get to the end of the first round, but she wouldn’t.”
Imane Khelif vs Angela Carini: As it happened
Key moments
Chosen by us to get you up to speed at a glance
- Italian PM speaksQuotes from Carini, her coach, and Italian PM Giorgia MeloniCarini warned against fightingCarini’s coach says fighter was told it was too dangerousUN reporter weighs inUN’s Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women speaks"Never been punched so hard"Italy’s Carini has spoken after her 45 second abandonmentFight stoppedCarini abandons within a minute of first round
Oliver Brown, Chief Sports Writer, in Paris and Thomas Jeffreys, live updates
Gracious in defeat
Continuing, Carini said the following about her controversial opponent:
I wish her to carry on until the end and that she can be happy.I am someone who doesn’t judge anyone. I am not here to give judgements.
Khelif has spoken briefly herself, saying the following:
I’m here for the gold. I fight everybody“I didn’t have fear, I don’t fear the ring. I don’t fear taking the blows. But this time there’s an end for everything”
More quotes from Angela Carini below:I wasn’t able to finish the match, I felt a strong pain to my nose and I said [to myself] for the experience that I have and the maturity as a woman that I have, I hope my nation won’t take it badly, I hope my dad won’t take it badly - but I stopped, I said stop for myself.It could have been the match of a lifetime, but I had to preserve my life as well in that moment.“Viewers left in the dark”
Our man on the ground Oliver Brown was keeping us well-informed, but for the TV viewers there was absolutely no mention of why Imane Khelif’s presence is so polarising. More from Telegraph Sport’s Tom Morgan on that here, including updates from our previous mention of this article.More on the Italian PM
Giorgia Meloni reacting to this fiasco so quickly really demonstrates how contentious it is. You can follow her reaction to Angela Carini’s withdrawal against Imane Khelif here.More from Italian PM Giorgia Meloni
The fight between Angela Carini and her Algerian opponent Imane Khelif shows what happens when gender ideas are taken to extremes, Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni said.“I have been trying to explain for years that, when taken to the extreme, some theses risk impacting women’s rights,” she said.“I think that athletes who have male genetic characteristics should not be admitted to women’s competitions. Not because we want to discriminate against anyone, but in order to protect the right of female athletes to be able to compete on equal terms”No mention in the coverage
As mentioned during the blog of the fight itself, and after, the Eurosports commentary avoided the issue surrounding Imane Khelif’s failed gender test entirely, whilst the BBC didn’t show the fight live. More from Tom Morgan on this here.Quotes from Carini, her coach, and the Italian PM
Italy’s Angela Carini said that she abandoned her controversial women’s boxing match at the 2024 Paris Olympics against Imane Khelif because she could tell after one punch that she was outpowered.Her Algerian opponent was disqualified from last year’s women’s boxing world championships for failing gender-eligibility tests. “I got into the ring to fight,” said the 25-year-old from Naples. “I didn’t give up, but one punch hurt too much and so I said enough. I’m going out with my head held high,” she added.Coach Emanuele Renzini stressed that quitting the match was not planned in advance. “It would have been easier not to show up, because all of Italy had been asking her not to fight for days,” Renzini said.“But Angela was motivated and wanted to do it. Of course when she met her opponent at the draw, she said ‘it’s not fair’. But there was no premeditation here today.“She quit after taking one punch, she told me she didn’t feel she could fight. I tried to tell her to at least get to the end of the first round so we would fight, but she wouldn’t”.Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has commented on the fight, in which she said with “the levels of testosterone present in the Algerian athlete, the contest was not a contest, it was not equal...”A recap
To recap, Algeria’s Imane Khelif is through to the women’s welterweight boxing quarterfinals after her opponent, Italy’s Angela Carini, withdrew 46 seconds into their bout. Khelif is banned from competing in IBA events owing to a gender test that she failed in March 2023 and subsequent disqualification, but the IBA’s absence from the Olympics has reopened the possibility of her competing.The fight itself saw Khelif land two clear punches before Carini’s withdrawal, and the Italian fell to her knees in tears, refusing to acknowledge her opponent, after Khelif’s glove was raised, before leaving the ring with haste.Carini told Telegraph Sport’s Oliver Brown that she’d “never been punched so hard” afterwards. Khelif, nor the IOC, have spoken about the fight yet.The IOC’s policy
The IOC governing this event is crucial given that their policy directly contradicts that of the IBA’s.Mark Adams, the IOC’s spokesman, said before today’s fight that “These boxers are entirely eligible. They are women on their passports. It’s not helpful to start stigmatising like this. We all have a responsibility not to turn it into some kind of witch-hunt”.Lin Yu-Ting to fight tomorrow
A reminder that there is another boxer embroiled in this controversy. Lin Yu-Ting, representing Taiwan/Chinese Taipei, was also disqualified by the International Boxing Association (IBA) following her failure in a gender test in March 2023. However, given the IOC stripped the IBA of its right to govern the Olympics boxing event, Yu-Ting will compete.She fights tomorrow in the 57kg division against Uzbekistan’s Sitora Turdibekova, scheduled for 14.30. We will be bringing you live coverage from that fight as wellControversy before the fight
A reminder that a number of people were outspoken about the IOC’s decision to allow Imane Khelif to compete for Algeria.A former opponent, Brianda Tamara, told Telegraph sport “Thank God I got out safely” after their bout in December 2022, three months before Khelif failed a gender test.Australian boxing captain Caitlin Parker has also labelled Khelif’s eligibility as “incredibly dangerous”, although Australian boxing coach Santiago Nieva said Khelif was fine to fight.Oliver Brown will get more information out ASAP, but in this article he demonstrates the stark differences between the IOC and IBA on the issue.Imane Khelif yet to speak
Angela Carini was in floods of tears as she stopped to speak in the interview area, having abandoned her bout with Imane Khelif after only 46 seconds. Her voice quavering, she said that she pulled out because she had never been hit so hard. Imane Khelif swept through the mixed zone without saying a word. It is staggering to think how only yesterday, Mark Adams, the International Olympic Committee’s spokesman, had said that everyone should just “dial down” the issue and not instigate a “witchhunt”. To reiterate, Khelif had failed two sex tests by the International Boxing Association. It is, frankly, an absolute scandal.Next fight finished
The next fight in the women’s featherweight decision has wrapped up, China’s Chang Yuan beating Bulgaria’s Stanimira Petrova via decision, and as the fight after gets ready there is still no mention of Carini’s withdrawal for a suspected broken noseWhat happened after the fight
As mentioned, Carini fell to her knees in tears after the referee raised Khelif’s hand. The Algerian went to embrace the Italian twice but was dismissed, before both fighters left the ring and walked off. The next fight was ready to go immediately and the Eurosport coverage hasn’t mentioned it once...What happened during the fight?
Khelif landed one right hand and then was close to landing a flurry of punches, and shortly after, 35 seconds into the bout, Carini raised her hand and had her headgear checked, a slightly subdued look on her face as she chatted very briefly to her coaches.She returned to fight and was immediately caught by a right hand by Khelif. Just a second later, she raises her glove again to withdraw. We’re now being informed it’s a suspected broken nose by our man on the ground Oliver Brown.Khelif out first in the red corner
Khelif walks out first to the red corner to a non-controversial reception. There are a few Algerians in the crowd who are getting behind their welterweight. Carini in the blue corner in Italian blue.“It is difficult to imagine a more wretched dereliction of duty”
It’s also a scandal given the discrepancies it exposes between the IOC and its federations. There is manifest differences between how different events are handling debates like this in Paris and the lack of centrality in ruling is puzzling, and as Oliver showcases in the above article, accountability between the IOC and IBA, who both point the finger at each other, is similarly lacking.The IOC are governing the boxing due to separate concerns about the IBA’s governance, and boxing’s future as an Olympic sport is uncertain. One concern about the IBA’s governance was its judging of fights, a theme that has continued to cast a shadow over this Olympics, got GB at least...The Telegraph’s take
I have arrived at the North Paris Arena for the bout between Imane Khelif, the Algerian boxer who failed a sex test at last year’s world championships, and Italy’s Angela Carini. The press box, I can safely say, is a great deal fuller than you would usually expect for the women’s Olympic welterweight preliminaries. This case has already detonated ferocious controversy, with the International Olympic Committee under mounting pressure to explain how a woman can be allowed into a boxing ring unsure of the sex of the person she is facing. Khelif was banned from competing in a gold-medal bout in Delhi by the International Boxing Association, who said that the fighter had failed biochemical tests in two consecutive years.The scientist’s take:
Rocella’s quote must be caveated by the fact that Khelif is not a transgender athlete, but her DNA does contain male XY chromosomes. Those genetic tests taken in March 2023 can be considered unequivocal. Yu-Ting decided not to appeal her disqualification, whilst Khelif withdrew hers before it reached any deliberation. This genetic test is the same one that Caster Semenya has taken to reveal her DNA contains XY chromosomes, but given the phsyical nature of this sport this debate harnesses an entirely new dimension.If it is not safe, nobody cares if it is fair or inclusive. You cannot do it.In the article, former featherweight world champion Barry McGuigan concurs with Dr Hilton...The boxing world’s take
Australia’s Marissa Williamson is fighting in Khelif’s category, and her squad captain Caitlin Parker believes Khelif’s eligibility is “incredibly dangerous”. She is backed in this article by Italy’s Olympic Committee (CONI) and Italy’s Family and Equal Opportunities Minister, but not by Australian boxing coach Santiago Nieva.To give you a taste of the how angry the Italians are about this fight going ahead, here’s a quote from the Equal Opportunities Minister, Eugenia Rocella from the above article:It is of great concern to learn that two transgender people, men who identify as women, were admitted to women’s boxing competitions at the Olympic Games in Paris after having been excluded from recent competitions.Her opponent’s take
As mentioned, this is a hugely contentious issue, and the boxing world has weighed in heavily on the debate.Mexico’s Brianda Tamara fought Khelif in December 2022, just three months before Khelif’s failed test. As you can see in the clip below, it was a brutal fight for the Mexican, who is not fighting at theThis was Imane Khelif fighting in Mexico in December 2022 against a Mexican woman. Three months later, a test apparently revealed the XY chromosome. Note the force of the punching. Imane’s opponent that day, @BriandaTamara, said she certainly did: #OlympicGames #BoxingRelated Topics
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