Victory Of Algeria Boxer, Who Failed Gender Test Last Year, Leads To Row

A major gender row exploded at the ParisParisParis Olympics 2024 after controversial Algerian boxer Imane Khelif punced out Italian pugilist Angela Carini in just 46 second in their 66kg women’s boxing clash on Thursday. Khelif had failed the gender eligibility test last year and was disqualified from competing by the International Boxing Association (IBA), a body which has been banned by the International Olympic Council (IOC).

The Italian boxer walked away from her Algerian opponent and went to her corner on Thursday, abandoning her bout — an extremely rare occurrence in Olympic boxing. Carini didn’t shake Khelif’s hand after the referee formally raised it, but she cried in the ring after sinking to her knees.

“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,” a tearful Carini said.