The International Boxing Association (IBA) announced on Friday that Italy’s Angela Carini, who lost her welterweight round-of-16 bout against Algerian Imane Khelif at the Paris Olympics in 46 seconds on Thursday, will be awarded $50,000 in prize money.
Carini pulled out in the first round after the Algerian, who is at the center of a gender controversy, overwhelmed her with a barrage of punches.
The IBA, which was stripped of its international recognition by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) last year, said Carini would receive $50,000, her federation an additional $25,000, and her coach another $25,000.
“I do not understand why they killed women’s boxing,” IBA President Umar Kremlev said. “Only eligible athletes should compete in the ring for the sake of safety. I could not look at her tears.”
Algeria’s Khelif and Taiwan’s double world champion Lin Yu-ting were cleared to compete in Paris despite being disqualified at the 2023 World Championships for failing IBA eligibility rules that prevent athletes with male XY chromosomes from competing in women’s events.
The IOC, which stripped the IBA of its status as boxing’s governing body over governance issues, has taken charge of the Paris 2024 boxing competition but now finds itself at the center of a row over the pair’s participation.
Welterweight Khelif next faces Hungary’s Luca Anna Hamori.
In an interview with Italian daily Gazetta dello Sport published on Friday, Carini said she did not intend to stir up controversy.
“All this controversy certainly made me sad, and I also felt sorry for my opponent; she had nothing to do with it and like me was only here to fight,” she said.
“It was not intentional, in fact, I apologize to her and to everyone. I was angry because my Games had already gone up in smoke. I have nothing against Khelif and on the contrary, if I happened to meet her again I would give her a hug.”
‘Mistreatment’
Imane Khelif of Algeria during her fight with Angela Carini of Italy in Round of 16 of Women’s 66kg Prelims at the Olympic Games at North Paris Arena, Villepinte, France on Aug 1, 2024. — Reuters
The IOC said the IBA’s decision to disqualify the boxers last year was arbitrary, leading to a furore that saw figures such as British author J.K. Rowling and billionaire Elon Musk voice their opposition to their competing in the Games.
Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, who met IOC President Thomas Bach on Thursday, said the Italian athlete had faced a boxer who had physical advantages, making it an unequal fight.
However, WBC women’s world featherweight champion Skye Nicolson pointed out that Khelif and Lin had both been beaten by women several times during their careers and said they “do not deserve this mistreatment.”
“I’ve actually fought and sparred both of the girls,” the Australian said in an Instagram post.
“They have grown up as girls, as females, as women. They have competed as women the whole time. These are not naturally born men who have decided to call themselves women or identify as women to fight women in the Olympics.
“I feel like the thing that happened with the Italian girl was a publicity stunt more than anything.”
Some sports have limited the levels of testosterone allowed for athletes competing in women’s competitions, while others ban everyone who has been through male puberty.
Differences of Sexual Development (DSD) are a group of rare conditions involving genes, hormones, and reproductive organs. Some people with DSDs are raised as female but have XY sex chromosomes and blood testosterone levels in the male range.
The IOC said the rules of eligibility were based on those of the Tokyo Games in 2021 and could not be changed during a competition.
