In the current Olympics, on the boxing side, the organizers allowed a transgender man named Imane Khelif from Algeria to compete against an Italian woman named Angela Carini. Khelif defeated Carini in just 46 seconds.
In this short time, the Italian Angela Carini was defeated by the Algerian Imane Khelif, who competed in the women’s category. Khelif is known for presenting himself as a woman. During the match, Carini reportedly said, “It didn’t go through the light.”
Before the match, Khelif was tested and found to be male. This issue also arose in 2023 when Khelif was barred from competing in the World Cup after a hormone test revealed he was male. The tests showed Khelif had higher levels of testosterone than the average for women, leading to his removal from the women’s competition.
Lin Yu from Taiwan, who came to the Olympics in France, was also removed from the competition after it was confirmed that he was a man attempting to compete in the women’s category. Umar Klemlev, the head of the International Boxing Association (IBA), stated, “Cell tests showed that Lin Yu has XY chromosomes, which are characteristic of men, as women have XX chromosomes.”
As soon as Khelif and Carini entered the ring, Khelif shouted at Angela and punched her. After 46 seconds, Carini left the ring and went home. Following the match, Carini expressed her regret, saying, “I was told I was a fighter. My heart is broken; I had to stop fighting for my safety and my life.” She added, “I’ve never been called like that before. After they hurt my nose, I couldn’t breathe anymore. I told my coach that it was enough. It was a memorable match, but I had to defend my life.”
In this competition, there was a focus on visible traits like facial hair, even though there have been warnings for years about men competing in women’s categories. Reem Alsalem from the UN remarked that women should not be subjected to such abuse, and it is unjust for them to compete against men rather than their female peers. She emphasized that Angela Carini, like other women, did not deserve to be mistreated based on gender.
Carini and her coach believe their country does not deserve such unfair treatment, particularly since Carini had been urged by friends not to compete but chose to continue, only to be defeated in just 46 seconds.
