The Paris Olympics 2024 has found itself in a lot of controversies and it just found itself in hot water once again. This controversy arose when Algerian Boxer Imane Khelif, who failed a gender eligibility test last year, fought Italian female boxer Angela Carini in the Olympics.
Khelif stepped into the ring on Thursday, and in just 46 seconds, she stepped out victorious. But this wasn’t just an average Olympic bout. Khelif’s eligibility has been questioned since last year. The 25-year-old failed a gender test before the 2023 World Championships. Yet, here she was, competing in the women’s 66 kg category.
Her opponent, Italy’s Angela Carini, never stood a chance as the fight ended almost instantly. Khelif’s lightning-fast victory has reignited a heated debate. Should athletes who fail gender tests compete in women’s events? The International Olympic Committee (IOC) says yes. Their spokesperson stated that Khelif meets all eligibility requirements.
The controversy extends beyond Khelif. Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, who fights Friday, faces similar scrutiny. Both boxers were disqualified from last year’s world championships. Yet both are competing in Paris. This has put serious shade on the Paris Olympics as a whole, with many combat sports athletes coming forward to voice their disappointment.
Israel Adesanya Accuses The Paris Olympics Of Playing Politics
UFC star Israel Adesanya isn’t pulling any punches about the recent boxing match between Algerian boxer Khelif and Italian Carini. Imane Khelif had failed a gender eligibility test last year, and Adesanya was not one to keep quiet about this.
Adesanya took to social media to express his outrage. He accused the Olympics of playing “dirty politics” by allowing the match. The Paris Olympics has been a hotbed of controversies and as such, this adds another one to the list. The former UFC middleweight champion revealed his disgust that a man was allowed to fight a woman.
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“Men should not be boxing women.
lol he couldn’t even finish her.
Anyway, People > politics,” wrote Adesanya via X
Israel Adesanya questioned the fairness of putting a biologically male boxer against a female opponent. The situation has reignited debates about gender in sports. Khelif’s eligibility has been a point of contention since last year’s world championships, and the IOC stands by its decision. But Adesanya isn’t buying it. He argues that biology can’t be ignored in combat sports. Whether any action will be taken after all this outrage remains to be seen. Till then, this is a victory for Imane Khelif.
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