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Social Media Reacts To Controversial Olympic Women’s Boxing Result Between Imane Khelif And Angela Carini

Written by Tom Eaton on 1st August 2024.

Imane Khelif And Angela Carini

The Paris 2024 Olympics are in full swing and boxing in particular has come under widespread scrutiny, firstly amid fears that these could be the last games where the sport is included, but additionally because of the IOC’s decision to allow Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting to compete.

Algeria’s Khelif (66kg) and Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yu-ting (57kg) were both disqualified for competing in last year’s World Championships after they failed gender eligibility tests, although the International Olympic Committee controversially permitted both to compete at Paris 2024.

This news immediately caused issues and was slammed by high-profile figures in the sport, with Matchroom Promoter Eddie Hearn declaring that ‘the world has gone crazy’.

“I don’t know if there is even a debate. I don’t know enough about the situation, I don’t know enough about the athletes but the only thing that I will say is that, in my opinion, if you are born male, you should not be competing against females.

“In a sport where you can receive physical damage, it is a very different conversation to a debate in another sport. In boxing, that is my opinion.

“The world has gone a little bit crazy and common sense is a thing of the past.”

With eyes well and truly fixated on both, Khelif was the first to compete and her preliminary bout against Italy’s Angela Carini has only caused further concern.

After sharing the ring with Khelif for just 45 seconds, Carini made the monumental decision to quit, sacrificing years of immensely hard work in a viral protest – clearly feeling helpless after feeling the power of Khelif’s punches, reducing her to tears after the judges confirmed the result of the contest.

Just hours after the fight, there has been outrage across social platforms, with a number of celebrities and fighters speaking out in support of Angela Carini.

Elon Musk [Owner of X] – “Absolutely, [men don’t belong in women’s sports]”

James Dreyfus (Actor) – “What I saw. A woman getting hit SO hard, in the head, by a man, that she wisely to stop it, because she knew if she didn’t, she’d be seriously injured or worse.

Blood, sweat, tears, training, dreams…shattered…. The ABSOLUTE STATE of this @IOCmedia.”

J.K. Rowling [Author] – “Watch this (whole thread), then 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 all the way up to the organisers who allowed this to happen, this is men revelling in their power over women.

“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.”

Amy Broadhurst [2022 World Amateur Champion] – “If this is a man and it becomes 100% fact, I’ll be disgusted that I was in the ring and so was many others. A man vs a woman is far from ok. But right now nobody knows what the true facts are.”

Chantelle Cameron [Former undisputed world champion] – “This is so sad. Something needs to be done as this just isn’t FAIR!! Olympic boxing is ruined. I hope nobody gets seriously hurt.”

Imane Khelif will return to fight in the quarter-finals at 17:22 (local time) on August 3rd against Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori, who progressed with a 5-0 points win over Australia’s Marissa Williamson earlier today.

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