A lip-reader has revealed what boxer Angela Carini supposedly said after ending her Olympic fight 46 seconds into the match, amid controversy about her opponent.
Carini went up against Algerian fighter Imane Khelif yesterday (1 August), having been on the receiving end of some painful-looking blows during their short clash.
After suffering a suspected broken nose, she eventually raised her glove to withdraw from the fight, before falling to her knees in tears as the referee lifted Khelif’s hand to confirm her win.
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Khelif’s involvement in the Olympic games has been met with some controversy, as she was previously disqualified at the 2023 World Championships after failing gender eligibility tests.
However, for this year’s Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee said it was satisfied she complied with all rules to compete.
The Algerian also competed at the Tokyo Games in 2021.
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The IOC has defended the athlete's right to compete, with spokesperson Mark Adams saying in a statement: “Everyone competing in the women’s category is complying with the competition eligibility rules.
"They are women in their passports and it’s stated that this is the case, that they are female.”
But Carini appeared to struggle during the fight before withdrawing herself, visibly emotional as things came to an end after just 46 seconds.
Carini reportedly turned to her coach Emanuele Renzini and said something.
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According to Gazzetta dello Sport, a lip-reader has worked out what it was that she said: “It hurt like hell,” in reference to receiving blows from Khelif.
After the fight concluded, she also told press: "I have always honoured my country with loyalty. This time I didn’t succeed because I couldn’t fight anymore. So I put an end to the match.”
After backlash on social media about the fight, Olympic organisers were forced to release a lengthy new statement on the matter, saying ‘every person has the right to practise sport without discrimination’.
The Olympic Committee Statement in full:
"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.
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"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 PBU used the Tokyo 2020 boxing rules as a baseline to develop its regulations for Paris 2024. This was to minimise the impact on athletes’ preparations and guarantee consistency between Olympic Games. These Tokyo 2020 rules were based on the post-Rio 2016 rules, which were in place before the suspension of the boxing International Federation by the IOC in 2019 and the subsequent withdrawal of its recognition in 2023.
"We have seen in reports misleading information about two female athletes competing at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The two athletes have been competing in international boxing competitions for many years in the women’s category, including the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, International Boxing Association (IBA) World Championships and IBA-sanctioned tournaments.
"These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA. Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process."
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The statement continued: "According to the IBA minutes available on their website, this decision was initially taken solely by the IBA Secretary General and CEO. The IBA Board only ratified it afterwards and only subsequently requested that a procedure to follow in similar cases in the future be established and reflected in the IBA Regulations. The minutes also say that the IBA should 'establish a clear procedure on gender testing'.
"The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure – especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years.
"Such an approach is contrary to good governance.
"Eligibility rules should not be changed during ongoing competition, and any rule change must follow appropriate processes and should be based on scientific evidence.
"The IOC is committed to protecting the human rights of all athletes participating in the Olympic Games as per the Olympic Charter, the IOC Code of Ethics and the IOC Strategic Framework on Human Rights. The IOC is saddened by the abuse that the two athletes are currently receiving.
"The IBA’s recognition was withdrawn by the IOC in 2023 following its suspension in 2019. The withdrawal of recognition was confirmed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). See the IOC’s statement following the ruling.
"The IOC has made it clear that it needs National Boxing Federations to reach a consensus around a new International Federation in order for boxing to be included on the sports programme of the Olympic Games LA28."
Topics: Olympics, Sport, Imane Khelif
Jess Hardiman