Imane Khelif clearly beat Angela Carini in their welterweight round of 16 bout, with the Italian in tears after her defeat

Imane Khelif tras su combate contra Carini.

The Paris Olympics have seen their share of controversies, with the boxing discipline being no exception. Recent debates have centered around the participation of Imane Khelif from Algeria and Lin Yu-ting from Taiwan.

Both athletes were previously disqualified from the 2023 World Cup due to having XY chromosomes, typically associated with men, whereas women usually have two X chromosomes.

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Khelif has faced criticism, particularly from Italy, where her participation has been labeled as unfair. Italian boxer Angela Carini expressed her discontent after their match, which ended abruptly 46 seconds in when Carini withdrew, visibly distressed.

She was seen mouthing “Mi ha fatto malissimo” (“It hurt me a lot”) and repeatedly said “it’s not fair” following the bout. Carini refused to shake hands with Khelif, highlighting the ongoing controversy.

The match began with a powerful right hand from Khelif that disrupted Carini‘s helmet, leading to Carini‘s quick decision to end the fight and express her frustration to her team.

Lin Yu-ting is scheduled to fight Uzbekistan’s Turdibekova on Friday. Despite high testosterone levels found in tests, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has permitted her participation.

Both Khelif and Yu-ting have not identified as transgender or intersex.

A normal career until last year

The controversy surrounding these athletes began last year when tests revealed their elevated testosterone levels and XY chromosomes.

Despite this, both have had successful careers, as Khelif was a runner-up at the 2022 World Cup, and Yu-ting was a world champion in 2018 and 2022.

In Algeria, the backlash against Khelif has been met with support, with prominent figures like Ismael Bennacer defending her.

As Khelif progresses to the quarterfinals, the debate continues to rage on social media, reflecting broader tensions around gender and competition at the Olympics