Explained: Women's Boxing Match At Paris Olympics Sparks Gender Row

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who failed a gender eligibility test last year, knocked their Italian opponent out in 46 seconds in the 66 kg women's boxing category and has drawn the ire of Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, who said the fight was "not on an equal footing".

The author of Harry Potter, JK Rowling, reacted to the gender row during the match and said, "Explain why you're OK with a man beating a woman in public for your entertainment."

Italian Angela Carini was distraught, she collapsed on her knees and sobbed in the middle of the ring after the defeat and did not shake hands with Khelif, who entered the quarterfinals in the category after the win. 

A boxing round lasts 3 minutes and there are three rounds in each but the Algerian boxer landed two strong punches, knocking Carini out in just 46 seconds. The Italian boxer was unable to stand after her nose was hit and began bleeding.

"I have a big pain in my nose and I said, 'Stop'. It's better to avoid keeping going. My nose started dripping (with blood) from the first hit," said the distressed Carini.

Imane Khelif (red) vs Angela Carini (blue)
Photo Credit: Photo Credit: AFP

Italy's Prime Minister said "I think athletes who have male genetic characteristics should not be admitted to women's competitions. And not because you want to discriminate against someone, but to protect the right of female athletes to be able to compete on equal terms."

"I was emotional yesterday when she wrote 'I will fight' because the dedication, the head, and the character, surely also play a role in these things. But then, it also matters to be able to compete on equal grounds and from my point of view it was not an even contest," Ms Meloni added.

What Is The Controversy?

The International Olympic Committee allowed two boxers, who failed the gender eligibility tests for the World Boxing Championships, to be made eligible to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Last year, the Algerian boxer was disqualified hours before her gold medal match at the women's World Championships in Delhi. Algerian media reported that Khelif was disqualified for a high level of testosterone in her system.

Taiwan's double world champion Lin Yu-ting lost her bronze medal at the same competition after she too failed to meet the criteria.

Umar Kremlev, Amateur Boxing President, told Russian news agency TASS, "DNA tests of two boxers proved they have XY chromosomes and were thus excluded." XY is the male chromosome and XX is for females.

Reem Alsalem, the UN special rapporteur on violence against women and girls, wrote on X that "Angela Carini rightly followed her instincts and prioritized her physical safety, but she and other female athletes should not have been exposed to this physical and psychological violence based on their sex."

#Angelacarini rightly followed her instincts and prioritized her physical safety, but she and other female athletes should not have been exposed to this physical and psychological
Violence based on their sex.

— Reem Alsalem UNSR Violence Against Women and Girls (@UNSRVAW) August 1, 2024

The World Championships were organised by the International Boxing Association (IBA) and were not recognised by the International Olympic Committee over financial transparency. 

The IOC said the source of the prize money at the International Boxing Association was unclear and is one of the reasons why they withdrew its recognition of the IBA.

"The IBA was not prepared to transparently explain the sources of its financing or to explain its full financial dependency, at the time, on a single state-owned company, Gazprom," IOC said. 

The boxing competition at the Paris Olympics is being organised by the Paris Boxing Unit (PBU), an ad-hoc unit of the IOC's Executive Board. 

IOC spokesman, Mark Adams, said "Everyone competing in the women's category is complying with competition eligibility rules. They are women in their passports and it's stated in there that they are female." 

Nations Back Their Boxers

As expected, the Algerian and Taiwanese boxers have received backing from their nations' leaders. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said, "Yu-ting's performances have inspired many Taiwanese players and united Taiwanese people. Now that she is once again on the international stage, we should stand united and cheer for her."

Alegria's Olympic committee called it a "malicious and unethical attack directed against our distinguished athlete, Imane Khelif, by certain foreign media".

The IBA in a statement clarified that Khelif initially appealed the decision of the IBA's ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) but later withdrew it during the process, making their decision legally binding. 

However, Lin Yu-ting did not appeal the decision thus rendering it legally binding.

"The IOC's differing regulations on these matters, in which IBA is not involved, raise serious questions about both competitive fairness and athletes' safety. For clarification on why the IOC permits athletes with competitive advantages to compete in their events, we urge interested parties to seek answers directly from the IOC," the IBA said.

' Explain Why You're Ok With A Man Beating A Woman'

The author of Harry Potter, JK Rowling, voiced her opinion on the gender row during the match and said, "Explain why you're OK with a man beating a woman in public for your entertainment. This isn't sport. From the bullying cheat in red up to the organisers who allowed this to happen, this is men revelling in their power over women."

Kirsty Burrows, the Head of the Safe Sport Unit at the IOC, in a press briefing, said, "Paris Olympics 2024 offers the most comprehensive package of mental health and safeguarding initiatives than any other Olympic or sporting event in history." 

A young female boxer has just had everything she's worked and trained for snatched away because you allowed a male to get in the ring with her. You're a disgrace, your ‘safeguarding' is a joke and #Paris24 will be forever tarnished by the brutal injustice done to Carini. https://t.co/JMKzVljpyr

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 1, 2024

Ms Burrows's comments were unrelated to the boxing match incident but Ms Rowling commented and said, "A young female boxer has just had everything she's worked and trained for snatched away because you allowed a male to get in the ring with her. You're a disgrace, your 'safeguarding' is a joke and Paris 24 will be forever tarnished by the brutal injustice done to Carini."