A boxer for Italy quit 46 seconds into her bout at the Paris Olympics on Thursday after a punch from an opponent whose eligibility for women's competitions has been questioned. Angela Carini took a powerful shot square in the face, paused, then turned and went to her corner, the New York Times reports. Her coaches indicated that she wouldn't continue. Carini, who avoided shaking hands with Imane Khelif of Algeria, fell to her knees and cried. "I have never felt a punch like this," Carini said later, telling reporters, "I am heartbroken."
Khelif was allowed to compete, though she wasn't in 2023, when a sport official said she hadn't met requirements for a women's event. The 25-year-old has always competed as a woman, per NBC News, and there's been no indication that she identifies as transgender or intersex. She boxed in the Tokyo Olympics. The International Olympic Committee criticized her disqualification at the 2023 world championships, which said Khelif and another female boxer had XY chromosomes. "Every person has the right to practice sport without discrimination," the IOC said. The rules don't mention testosterone levels or gender eligibility, per the Times.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the match "did not seem on equal footing," telling reporters in Paris that "athletes who have male genetic characteristics should not be admitted to female competitions." Carini said she had gone into the ring to honor her father and was leaving with her head held high. She declined to say whether she thought Khelif should have been allowed to compete against her. "I am no one to judge this match," Carini said. "I am not a referee." (More 2024 Paris Olympics stories.)
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