Boxer issues apology after controversial 46-second match!
Italian boxer Angela Carini is in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
After their match yesterday, she wants to apologize to her opponent, Imane Khelif.
This shocking result led to an online storm against Khelif.
Khelif, a 25-year-old Algerian boxer, was revealed to have failed an IBA gender eligibility test in 2023.
Yet, the Olympic Committee has reaffirmed her right to compete.
“Every person has the right to practise sport without discrimination,” the committee stated.
The Paris 2024 Boxing Unit confirmed all athletes meet eligibility regulations.
Khelif was assigned female at birth and has never identified as male, transgender, or intersex.
Despite this, she faced immense backlash after the match.
“We strongly support our heroine and defend her rights,” they declared.
She has fought 50 times, with nine losses.
At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, she lost to Ireland’s Kellie Harrington in the quarter-finals.
This wasn’t her first brush with controversy.
In 2022, Khelif faced Amy Broadhurst.
Broadhurst has come to Khelif’s defense amid the current backlash.
“People are texting me about Imane Khelif,” Broadhurst posted online.
“Personally, I don’t think she has done anything to ‘cheat’.”
Broadhurst believes Khelif’s situation is beyond her control.
Proven track record.
She highlighted that Khelif has been defeated by nine other females.
The recent incident has stirred the boxing community.
The swift end to the Carini-Khelif match has everyone talking.
“All this controversy makes me sad,” she told Gazzetta dello Sport.
She felt bad for not shaking hands with Khelif.
Carini explained she was frustrated because her Olympics dreams were dashed.
She added, “If I met Khelif again, I would embrace her.”
Carini’s regret over her behavior marks a step toward reconciliation.
The Paris 2024 Olympics will surely be remembered for more than just the matches.
The world will be watching to see how both boxers move forward.