Italian boxer Angela Carini’s withdrawal from the ring 46 seconds after a powerful hit from her Algerian intersex opponent, Iman Khelif, has sparked a debate over Khelif’s participation in the Olympics.
Carini endured the first body shot, but after a blow to her face at 46 seconds, she turned to her corner and asked her coach to stop the fight. Following the match, Carini expressed her disappointment to Italian journalists: “After the second hit to my nose, I couldn’t breathe. I went to my coach and, with maturity and courage, said enough. It takes courage and maturity to stop. I didn’t want to fight anymore,” she stated.
In her recent statements, however, she emphasized that she wants to apologize to her opponent for how she handled the post-match moments. “This whole controversy saddens me,” Carini told the Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport. “If the IOC said she can compete, I respect that decision,” she added.
Carini explained that abandoning the match was a mature step she had to take, but she regretted not shaking Khelif’s hand afterward. “In reality, I want to apologize to her and everyone. My reaction was due to my disappointment with the loss. If I meet Khelif again, I will hug her, I have nothing against her.”
I want to apologise to Khelif – Italian boxer Carini https://t.co/WIEwFwxlbC
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) August 2, 2024
Immediately after the match, Twitter was flooded with messages supporting the Italian boxer. Under the hashtag #IstandWithAngelaCarini, many expressed their solidarity with the athlete.
The International Boxing Association (IBA), which conducted the tests last year, had stated that Khelif “did not meet the eligibility criteria for participating in the women’s competition as defined by IBA regulations.”
“The Algerian boxer was born a woman, has lived her life as a woman, boxes as a woman, and has a female passport,” said IOC spokesperson Mark Adams on Friday.
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