A controversy erupted during the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games when Italian boxer Angela Carini refused to continue fighting just 46 seconds into her round of 16 welterweight bout against Algeria’s Imane Khelif on Thursday. After taking two powerful punches, Carini, broke down in tears, saying she had never experienced such forceful hits before.
The incident reignited the debate over Khelif's gender identity, leading to heavy criticism of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for allowing an intersex athlete who had not undergone gender verification to compete against women.
The global community has been questioning Khelif's gender identity, as her physical appearance displays more male characteristics. Various sources indicate that Khelif has XY chromosomes, typically associated with males. However, a congenital condition affected the typical development of male genitalia, resulting in her being born with a vaginal structure. Aside from her genitalia, her physical traits lean more towards traditional male characteristics.
A photograph purported to be of Olympic boxer Imane Khelif as a little girl in Algeria is spreading widely online.
The 25-year-old Algerian was registered as female at birth and raised as a girl, rendering her intersex under these circumstances. The presence of testosterone, viewed as a performance-enhancing substance for women, places her in a unique category that differs from typical transgender issues.
Boxing career and controversy
In her boxing career, Khelif has seen both challenges and successes. She finished 17th at the 2018 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships and 33rd at the 2019 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships, being eliminated in the first round on both occasions. She represented Algeria in the women's lightweight event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where she lost in the quarterfinals to Ireland's Kellie Harrington.
Khelif made history at the 2022 IBA Women's World Boxing Championships by becoming the first Algerian female boxer to reach the finals, ultimately finishing as runner-up after losing to Amy Broadhurst of Ireland. Khelif continued her success that year by winning gold at the Mediterranean Games, the Arab Games and the African Amateur Boxing Championships.
In March 2023, Khelif reached the finals of the IBA Women's World Boxing Championships again. However, she was disqualified before the gold medal bout due to elevated testosterone levels, which did not enter in their eligibility criteria.
At the Paris Olympics, the controversy surrounding her match with the Italian boxer has sparked widespread scrutiny of the IOC's criteria for allowing Khelif to compete against female athletes.
High-profile figures, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling, have expressed concerns about Khelif’s eligibility. Rowling called the Olympics a "misogynist sporting establishment" on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
Imane Khelif of Algeria and Angela Carini of Italy react after their fight on Thursday. (Photo: Reuters)
IOC defends its position
In response to the controversy, the IOC defended its stance in a statement that released on Thursday. The committee stated: “Every person has the right to practise sport without discrimination.”
All athletes participating in the boxing tournament at the Paris Olympics comply with the competition's eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations set by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit (PBU).
The statement continued that the gender and age of the athletes are determined by their passport, with these rules applying during the qualification period, which included multiple international boxing tournaments featuring over 2,000 qualification bouts.
These events included the 2023 European Games, Asian Games, Pan American Games and Pacific Games, the ad hoc 2023 African qualifying tournament in Dakar (SEN) and two world qualifying tournaments held in Busto Arsizio (ITA) and Bangkok (THA) in 2024, which involved a total of 1,471 different boxers from 172 National Olympic Committees (NOCs), the Boxing Refugee Team and Individual Neutral Athlete.
Imane Khelif of Algeria is seen ahead of her fight against Angela Carini of Italy. (Photo: Reuters)
The PBU established its regulations for Paris 2024 based on the Tokyo 2020 boxing rules to minimise the impact on athletes' preparations and ensure consistency between Olympic Games. These rules were implemented following the suspension of the international boxing federation by the IOC in 2019 and its complete withdrawal of recognition in 2023.
According to the IOC, there has been misleading information regarding two female athletes competing at the Paris Olympics. Both athletes have also participated in international competitions in the women’s category for many years, including the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and various IBA-sanctioned tournaments.
"These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA," the IOC stated. "Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process."
