The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is under scrutiny from high-profile women’s rights activists following the abandonment of a boxing match due to safety concerns.
Italy’s Angela Carini withdrew from her Paris 2024 bout with Algeria’s Imane Khelif, who was previously disqualified from the Women’s World Championships for elevated testosterone levels. “It could have been the match of a lifetime, but I had to preserve my life as well in that moment,” an emotional Carini told journalists after the 66kg preliminary round match.
The incident has sparked a viral uproar on social media, with figures like J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk criticizing the Olympic organizers.
Accusations that Khelif is male, labeled “baseless” by the Algeria Olympic Committee, have fueled the controversy.
Rowling tweeted, “Could any picture sum up our new men’s rights movement better? The smirk of a male who knows he’s protected by a misogynist sporting establishment enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head, and whose life’s ambition he’s just shattered.”
Musk endorsed a post from American swimmer Riley Gaines, who wrote, “men don’t belong in women’s sports,” to which Musk replied, “Absolutely.”
Judy Murray, mother of Team GB tennis player Andy Murray, added, “This should never have been allowed to happen. Bring back the swab test. Sport has to be fair and safe for biological women.”
In response, the IOC defended its decision to allow Khelif to compete. Spokesperson Mark Adams stated, “Everyone competing in the women’s category is complying with the competition eligibility rules.
They are women in their passports, and it is stated that is the case.” He emphasized that “this is not a transgender issue” and that the women involved have been competing in women’s competitions for many years.
Following the bout, Carini expressed goodwill towards her opponent, saying, “I wish her to carry on until the end and that she can be happy. I am someone who doesn’t judge anyone. I am not here to give judgments.”