On Thursday at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the 66-kilogram (145.5 pounds) weight class for women’s boxing, Italian Angela Carini abandoned her fight against Algeria’s Imane Khelif after 46 seconds. Carini, with a bloody nose following a powerful punch, fell to the floor of the ring in tears. She didn’t shake Khelif’s hand following the match.
The move from Carini sparked a global controversy about gender in sports as Khelif was disqualified from last year’s world championships after failing an unspecified test.
Who is Imane Khelif?
Khelif was born on May 2, 1999, in Tiaret, Algeria, located in the northwest region of the country. She first started playing soccer before making the switch to boxing. She has been competing for the Algerian national team since 2018, where Khelif came in 17th at the World Championships. Those 2018 World Championships were sanctioned by the International Boxing Association (IBA), then known as the Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur (AIBA).
She followed that with a 19th-place finish at the 2019 Women’s World Boxing Championships. Khelif competed at the Tokyo Olympics and made it to the quarterfinals of the 60-kilogram weight class before falling to Ireland’s Kellie Harrington.
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It was in 2022 when Khelif began to ascend in the sport and finished second in the Women’s World Boxing Championships after being defeated by Amy Broadhurst. Khelif won gold medals in the 2022 African Championships, Mediterranean Games, and 2023 Arab Games.
Then at the 2023 World Championships, Khelif was suddenly disqualified before the gold medal match.
What happened at the 2023 World Championships?
Khelif, alongside Lin Yu-ting of Chinese Taipei, were both disqualified at the 2023 World Boxing Championships for “their failure to meet the eligibility criteria for participating in the women’s competition.” The IBA cited high levels of testosterone.
The IBA states: “The athletes did not undergo a testosterone examination but were subject to a separate and recognized test, whereby the specifics remain confidential. This test conclusively indicated that both athletes did not meet the required necessary eligibility criteria and were found to have competitive advantages over other female competitors.”
The International Olympic Committee, IOC, has called the decision “arbitrary and unfair.” It is unclear exactly what those tests were and the IBA’s decision has never been fully explained.
In June 2023, the IOC stripped the IBA of its recognition as the international federation for the sport over governance, financial and ethical issues. A temporary body is overseeing boxing in Paris.
What is the controversy?
Khelif, who was assigned female at birth and has always identified as a woman, is accused of being transgender. This has led to outrage from conservatives, such as “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling, tech entrepreneur Elon Musk and former president Donald Trump, who claim that a man is fighting a woman.
That is not the case, as IOC chief spokesperson Mark Adams stressed. In a press conference on Friday, Adams said Khelif was “born female, was registered female, lived her life as a female, boxed as a female, has a female passport.”
Carini herself has issued an apology to Khelif.
“All this controversy certainly made me sad, and I also felt sorry for my opponent, she had nothing to do with it and like me was only here to fight, ” Carini said. “It was not intentional. In fact, I apologize to her and to everyone. I was angry because my Games had already gone up in smoke. I have nothing against Khelif and on the contrary, if I happened to meet her again, I would give her a hug.”
What’s next for Khelif?
Khelif is set to face Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori in the quarterfinals on Saturday at 8:22 a.m. MST. The Associated Press has reported that Hamori still will accept her fight on Saturday against Khelif, according to Hungary’s state news agency, MTI.
But the Hungarian Boxing Association plans to “express our indignation and request that the IOC reconsider its decision, which allowed a competitor into the IOC competition system who was previously banned from the (International Boxing Association’s) world championships,” official Lajos Berkó said, per the AP.
The winner of Saturday’s quarterfinal will move on to the semifinal match on Tuesday, August 6.
Logan Stanley is a sports reporter with The Arizona Republic who primarily focuses on high school, ASU and Olympic sports. To suggest ideas for human-interest stories and other news, reach out to Stanley at logan.stanley@gannett.com or 707-293-7650. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@LSscribe.
