Paris Olympics 2024: Imene Khelif wins first Olympic fight when opponent pulls out amid gender test controversy

Imene Khelif (Pic: X)

Imane Khelif of Algeria won her opening boxing bout of the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024 on Thursday when opponent Angela Carini of Italy quit after just 46 seconds.

Khelif was disqualified from the 2023 world championships after failing an unspecified gender eligibility test, and her presence at the Paris Olympics 2024 has become a divisive issue.

Carini and Khelif exchanged only a few punches before Carini walked away and abandoned the bout, an extremely unusual occurrence in Olympic boxing. Carini's headgear apparently became dislodged at least once before she quit. Carini didn't shake Khelif's hand after the decision was announced but cried in the ring on her knees.

Afterward, a still-tearful Carini said she quit because of intense pain in her nose after the opening punches. Carini, who had a spot of blood on her trunks, said she wasn't making a political statement and was not refusing to fight Khelif.

"I felt a severe pain in my nose, and with the maturity of a boxer, I said enough,' because I didn't want to, I didn't want to, I couldn't finish the match," Carini said.

Carini further said she is not qualified to decide whether Khelif should be allowed to compete, but she had no problem fighting her.

"I am not here to judge or pass judgment," Carini said. "If an athlete is this way, and in that sense it's not right or it is right, it's not up to me to decide. I just did my job as a boxer. I got into the ring and fought. I did it with my head held high and with a broken heart for not having finished the last kilometer."

Khelif is an accomplished amateur who won a silver medal at the International Boxing Association's 2022 world championships. The same governing body disqualified her from last year's championships shortly before her gold-medal match because of what it claimed were elevated levels of testosterone.

The 25-year-old entered the ring at the North Paris Arena to a chorus of cheers, but the crowd was confused by the bout's sudden end. Khelif, who fights again Saturday, didn't speak to reporters.

"I am heartbroken because I am a fighter," Carini said. "My father taught me to be a warrior. I have always stepped into the ring with honor and I have always (served) my country with loyalty. And this time I couldn't do it because I couldn't fight anymore, and so I ended the match."

Khelif and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan suddenly have received massive scrutiny for their presence in Paris after years of amateur competition. Lin won IBA world championships in 2018 and 2022, but the governing body stripped her of a bronze medal last year because it claimed she failed to meet unspecified eligibility requirements in a biochemical test.

Also Read: 'Didn't even call him to avoid distraction': Shooter Swapnil's parents

Lin begins her Paris run Friday.

The Algerian Olympic Committee issued a statement Wednesday condemning what it termed 'lies' and 'unethical targeting' and maligning of our esteemed athlete, Imane Khelif, with baseless propaganda from certain foreign media outlets.

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, who was visiting Italy athletes in the Olympic Village on Thursday, voiced criticism that Carini had to box Khelif, saying she had since 2021 opposed allowing athletes with 'genetically male' characteristics to compete against women.

"We have to pay attention, in an attempt to not discriminate, that we're actually 'discriminating' against women's rights, Meloni said.

She said it was necessary to guarantee the rights of athletes so they are competing on an even playing field.

"In these things what counts is your dedication, your head and character, but it also counts having a parity of arms," Meloni said.

Lin has been an elite-level amateur boxer for a decade and Khelif for six years.

The IOC on Tuesday defended their right to compete. Olympic boxing reached gender parity for the first time this year, with 124 men and 124 women competing in Paris.

"Everyone competing in the women's category is complying with the competition eligibility rules," IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said. "They are women in their passports and it's stated that this is the case, that they are female."

Lin is the top seed in the 57-kilogram category, although Olympic seeding is frequently unindicative of the top medal contenders in a division.

Several sports have updated their gender rules over the past three years, including World Aquatics, World Athletics and the International Cycling Union.

The IOC said it made its eligibility decisions on boxers based on the gender-related rules that applied at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

The IOC is in charge of boxing in Paris because the IBA has been banned from the past two Olympics because of years of governance problems, a lack of financial transparency and many perceived instances of corruption in judging and refereeing.

The IOC has revoked the Olympic status of the IBA, which is controlled by president Umar Kremlev, who is Russian.

The IBA has aggressively seized on the boxers' presence in Paris to criticize the IOC. After the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld the IOC's ban earlier this year, the IBA appealed to the Swiss Federal Tribunal.

Women's boxers have been asked about Khelif and Lin repeatedly this week. Many have expressed concern, while others have urged more consideration of an obviously complicated issue.

"I don't agree with that being allowed, especially in combat sports as it can be incredibly dangerous," Australia's Caitlin Parker said.

"It's not like I haven't sparred with guys before, but it can be dangerous for combat sports, and it should be seriously looked into. It is good that these things are coming out, and it's being put under the spotlight to be looked into further. Biologically and genetically, they are going to have more advantages. Combat sports can be dangerous. Fairness is what it's all about. We all want fairness in sport."