Disqualified from last year’s World Championships for failing to pass gender eligibility test, allowed to compete in Olympics Italian Deputy Prime Minister “insult to Olympic credibility”
after round of 16 on the 1st
As boxer Imane Khalif (26, Algeria), who was disqualified from last year’s World Championships due to gender controversy, is about to face an Italian athlete for the first time at the Paris Olympics, Italian politicians have raised the issue. On the
1st (local time), Algerian female boxer Imane Khalif will face Italy’s Angela Carini (25) in the round of 16 of the women’s 66 kg boxing class.
According to ANSA and other news agencies, Italian politicians expressed concern on the 31st of last month, a day before the match, saying, “We cannot guarantee the safety of our female athletes who are facing an athlete who has caused a gender controversy.”
“It is very worrying,” said Family Minister Eugenia Rocella. “It is surprising that there are no clear, rigorous, and unified standards at the international level.” She criticized,
“This could lead to unfair and potentially dangerous matches.”
Sports Minister Andrea Abodi also pointed out, “It is difficult to understand that there are no consistent standards for hormone levels at the international level, including the World Championships and the Olympics.”
Earlier, just hours before the finals of the World Championships held in New Delhi, India, Khalifa was disqualified for exceeding the standard testosterone level. Lin Yu-ting (28, Taiwan) also failed the test and was stripped of her bronze medal at the same competition. At the time, International Boxing Association (IBA) President Umar Klemlev explained, “They were excluded from the competition because the DNA test results confirmed that they have XY chromosomes.” However, the controversy grew when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on the 29th of last month that “the two have complied with all IOC regulations” and “will compete in the Paris Olympics as normal.” Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini posted a video of the Mexican athlete’s defeat by Khalif on his social media, criticizing it as “an insult to sports ethics and the credibility of the Olympics.” The athlete said, “The punches hurt so much. I’ve never felt this way in my 13 years as a boxer, even when fighting a male opponent.” Former boxing world champion Barry McGuigan wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that day, “I’m shocked that they were actually allowed to come here,” and “What the hell is going on?” However, the IOC maintains that chromosomes alone cannot determine gender. IOC spokesperson Ake Adams said, “The two athletes are female athletes who have competed in boxing for many years and are fully qualified.” 카지노사이트