Olympics: Italian Boxer Quits Against Opponent Who Failed Gender Test

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Facts

  • Italian boxer Angela Carini abandoned her Olympic bout after 46 seconds on Thursday, allegedly due to severe pain in her nose from two punches by Algeria's Imane Khelif. A tearful Carini could be heard telling 'Non è giusto' ('It's not fair') to her corner.[1][2]
  • Previously, Rome had expressed concerns over rules that allowed her opponent to compete in Paris despite failing the International Boxing Association's (IBA) gender-eligibility tests and being disqualified from the 2023 World Boxing Championships.[3][4]
  • Last year, the association's president claimed that Khelif had X and Y chromosomes — a typical male pattern seen in other female athletes, including Olympic champion runner Caster Semenya. However, the IBA didn't subject Khelif to a testosterone exam.[5][6][7]
  • Last June, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stripped the IBA of its status as the sport's world governing body following a four-year suspension. In a statement on Thursday, the IOC stressed that IBA has no straightforward procedure for gender testing.[8][5]
  • Khelif — who has a record of 37 wins and nine losses in 50 fights — is participating in her second Olympic Games. Her next match will be against Hungary's Luca Anna Hamori in the quarterfinals on Saturday.[9][10]
  • Taiwan's two-time world champion Lin Yu-ting, who has also been allowed to fight at the Olympics despite failing IBA's gender-eligibility tests, faced off against Sitora Turdibekova of Uzbekistan on Friday, winning the fight 3-0.[11][12][13]

Sources: [1]Associated Press, [2]The Telegraph, [3]FOX News, [4]Agenzia ANSA, [5]BBC News, [6]Forbes, [7]New York Times, [8]Olympics.com, [9]Al24News, [10]NBC, [11]Guardian, [12]Sky Sports and [13]Daily Mail.

Narratives

  • Right narrative, as provided by UnHerd. Originally meant to be a celebration of excellence, the Olympics have turned into a horror show as non-biological women have been allowed to fight biological women. This case may inevitably be a bit more complicated than those of transgender athletes, but Khelif must be banned due to an unfair advantage that risks the safety of her opponents.
  • Right narrative, as provided by The Sun. Originally meant to be a celebration of excellence, the Olympics have turned into a horror show as non-biological women have been allowed to fight biological women. This case may inevitably be a bit more complicated than those of transgender athletes, but Khelif must be banned due to an unfair advantage that risks the safety of her opponents.
  • Left narrative, as provided by Slate. Anti-trans activists were quick to attack Khelif, a cisgender woman taking part in the women's welterweight boxing competition at the Paris Olympics, paying little attention to the fact that she had competed at Tokyo 2020 without any commotion. Yes, she has a genetic advantage over her rivals — just like most world-class athletes.
  • Left narrative, as provided by Huffington Post. Anti-trans activists were quick to attack Khelif, a cisgender woman taking part in the women's welterweight boxing competition at the Paris Olympics, paying little attention to the fact that she had competed at Tokyo 2020 without any commotion. Yes, she has a genetic advantage over her rivals — just like most world-class athletes.