WATCH: The Moment Angela Carini Realised She Is Fighting 'Biological Male' Imane Khelif at Olympics

Paris Olympics 2024: The ongoing 33rd edition of the Summer Games has been controversial so far. With Morocco football fans attacking Argentina players, to the rise in COVID -19 cases and a male boxer taking on a female opponent, the Paris Olympics finds itself in unpleasant scenarios every day. Over 10,000 athletes are participating in the games but the IOC is failing to curb the controversies down.

Italy’s Angela Carini had to abandon a fight only 46 seconds after the start as she feared for her life against an Algerian boxer who had failed two gender tests. This is being called the most shameful episode of Olympic history. Italy’s Angela Carini later admitted that she was punched so heavily by Algeria's Imane Khelif that she “couldn’t breathe any more.

Watch the video here:

Khelif And A Long History Of Failed Tests

Imane Khelif of Algeria won her opening Olympic boxing bout 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 has become a divisive issue.

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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.

Who Is Imane Khelif?

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.

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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.

(With inputs from AP)