When she steps outside the ring from training, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif is taking painful punches from critics about her biological sex, despite her insisting that she’s “fully qualified” to compete in women’s sports — a claim that could be backed by extensive lab testing and gender verification diagnostics often used in professional athletics.
At the Paris Olympics, controversy erupted during the women’s 66kg quarterfinal match when Algerian boxer Imane Khelif landed a powerful punch that forced Italy’s Angela Carini out of the ring – just 46 seconds into the fight.
According to reports, just as Khelif was claiming the win, a teary-eyed Carini was heard saying “it’s not right.”
After the fight, the Italian welterweight told reporters that she had “never felt a punch like this” and that she quit because “one punch hurt too much.” She also told the BBC that she had to abandon the fight as she “felt a strong pain to my nose” and “had to preserve my life.” This kind of physical trauma often results in emergency hospital visits, with hospital costs that are typically covered by private health insurance or athlete-specific insurance plans.
The dramatic moment only intensified the backlash, as critics claimed it was “unfair” for the Carini to face a competitor that some insisted was “not biologically female” — a dispute that could legally fall under complex OB-GYN liability or even medical malpractice law if gender classification errors were made by sports governing bodies.
‘This is disgusting’
Social media exploded with opinions, misinformation, and heated debate – many demanding clarity and consistency in how gender-related health policies and eligibility standards are handled in women’s sports.
This is where Kamala Harris’s ideas about gender lead: to a grown man pummeling a woman in a boxing match. This is disgusting, and all of our leaders should condemn it. https://t.co/hUdx7rStzo
— JD Vance (@JDVance) August 1, 2024
