Italian boxer Angela Carini, whose fight was stopped after just 46 seconds, has expressed his desire to apologise to his opponent Imane Kelip amid the controversy surrounding the boxing match.
Imane Khelif receives backlash online
Carini was punched in the face in 30 seconds and went to the corner to get her head gear fixed by her coach before returning to the fight. After resuming the fight, she returned to the corner and gave up the fight. Her coach stated that she had suffered a serious noise injury and was unable to continue the fight.
The fight ended in 46 seconds on August 1, and the Algerian boxer later faced backlash online after it was revealed she was one of two female boxers disqualified from last year’s fight for failing an International Boxing Association (IBA) gender eligibility test.
Carini regrets not shaking hands with Kelly
Carini, 25, expressed his opinion and said it was a mature decision to walk away from the game, but later said he regretted not shaking hands with Kelly after the game.
“All of this,” Carini said. “I feel sorry for my opponent too. If the IOC said she could fight, I respect that decision.” This controversy makes me sad.
“It was not my intention. In fact, I would like to apologize to her and everyone else. I am upset that my Olympics have gone up in smoke,” Carini added of the handshake controversy.
She concluded by saying that if she ever saw Kelly again, she would ‘hug her’.
Gender Testing Controversy
The Russian-led International Boxing Association (IBA), which conducted the 2023 tests, said Khelif “did not meet the eligibility criteria for women’s competition as outlined in the IBA rules”.
Kelly has always competed in the women’s category and is recognized as a female athlete by the IOC.
“The Algerian boxer was born a woman, registered as a woman, lived her life as a woman, boxed as a woman and holds a female passport,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said.
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