PARIS, FRANCE – In a disgraceful turn of events at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif clinched victory in her first match after her opponent, Angela Carini of Italy, unexpectedly withdrew.
The bout ended in just 46 seconds on Thursday.
The match, held in the women’s 66kg category, saw only a brief exchange of punches before Carini stopped fighting, a rare occurrence in Olympic boxing. Following her withdrawal,
Carini was visibly distressed, kneeling and crying in the ring, and declined to shake Khelif’s hand upon the announcement of the decision.
In March 2023, Khelif was disqualified for failing to meet eligibility criteria shortly before her gold medal bout at the 2023 IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships. The Algerian Olympic Committee said Khelif was disqualified for medical reasons. It later emerged that the disqualification was due to high levels of testosterone.[6][7] International Boxing Association president Umar Kremlev claimed that the DNA test results of Khelif and other athletes “proved they had XY chromosomes“.[8] Khelif made an appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport but later withdrew it,[2] making the IBA decision legally binding.[9] In 2024, the IBA said that Khelif and others “did not undergo a testosterone examination but were subject to a separate and recognised test, whereby the specifics remain confidential”.[2]
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Carini later explained that her decision to quit was due to severe pain in her nose resulting from the initial punches, not a political statement against Khelif, who previously faced suspension from world championships for failing testosterone and gender eligibility tests. Carini emphasized her respect for the sport and her commitment as a boxer, despite the emotional and physical pain of the moment.
