Jemele Hill has sounded off on the Olympic boxing controversy involving Algerian boxer Imane Khelif.
Khelif scored a victory over Italian opponent Angela Carini on Thursday in what was a very short bout, as the latter checked out at 46 seconds. Carini’s decision sparked accusations, with many criticizing the International Olympic Committee for allowing a transgender to fight a woman.
While Khelif was disqualified from the 2023 World Championships, she met all of the requirements for the 2024 Olympics. That didn’t stop people from making gender claims, however.
For her part, Carini has apologized to Khelif, expressing regret over the controversy her decision sparked.
“All this controversy makes me sad,” she told Gazzetta dello Sport (H/T BBC). “I’m sorry for my opponent, too. If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision.”
The Italian, a police officer by profession, also apologized for shunning Khelif’s offer at a handshake.
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Jemele Hill Wants Imane Khelif To Sue
Jemele Hill saw the apology and has since tweeted that there are plenty of other people who owe the Algerian boxer an apology. She’s also hoping to see some of them taken to task.
“A lot of people need to apologize. I hope Khelif sues some people over their reckless remarks,” she wrote. “All this story did was expose ugliness, hatred, and transphobia. As Carini admitted here, she quit because she was upset she was gonna get her [expletive] whooped and other folks turned it into something else.”
Khelif has maintained her silence on the matter so far. If there are grounds for legal action, she might consider it, but she should be focused on her next match right now.
The 25-year-old is scheduled to fight Anna Luca Hamori on Saturday.
Hamori, who hails from Hungary, has sparked some controversy of her own by declaring that her win will mean more if it turns out that Khelif is indeed a man.
