IOC Expresses Disappointment Over Abuse Toward Boxer Imane Khelif Following Angela Carini's Walkover

An Olympic event doesn't end without controversy, and the same happened on Day 7 of the multi-sport event at the French Capital. A lot of drama ensued at the welterweight division round of 16 Match between Italy's Angela Carini and Algeria's Imane Khelif. Controversy ensued after Khelif destroyed Carini and left her bleeding copiously. The Italian boxer vented her frustration after she had to face Imane, who happens to be a biological male. The IOC was blasted for pairing a female against a designated male at birth. In light of all the criticism the Algerian Boxer has been receiving, the International Olympic Committee has come out to defend the Algerian and also offered clarification on the situation.

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

IOC & Paris Olympics Boxing Unit Defend Their Selection Process, Express Discontent Over Abuse Towards Imane Khelif

Following the contentious boxing match between Italy's Angela Carini and Algeria's Imane Khelif, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed their eligibility and entry requirements for the ongoing 2024 Paris Olympics Boxing Competition. They also condemned the criticism which has been directed at Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting after the controversial incident.  

“Every person has the right to practise sport without discrimination. All athletes participating in the boxing tournament of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 comply with the competition’s eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations set by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit (PBU) (please find all applicable rules here). As with previous Olympic boxing competitions, the gender and age of the athletes are based on their passport.

"These rules also applied during the qualification period, including the boxing tournaments of 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 Athletes, and featured over 2,000 qualification bouts," The IOC and the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit said in a joint statement.

Also Read: 'Never Been Punched So Hard': What Angela Carini Said After Quitting Match against Imane Khelif

Angela Carini gave up on her welterweight match against Khelif just 46 seconds after the Algerian fighter struck Carini in the nose so hard that it even knocked her chinstrap off, causing her to bleed. After a brief 30-second conversation with her coach, she decided to give up the game and disclosed that Khelif's blows were the hardest she had ever received in her professional career.