Angela Carini of Italy withdrew from the bout after just 46 seconds on August 1, leaving the young athlete in the middle of a massive media storm for the whole sports event.
Following Khelif’s announcement as the winner, the Italian fighter later said that she withdrew due to “a strong pain in the nose” and declined to shake her hand.
Khelif and Lin Yu-ting, a female boxer from Taiwan, were both barred from competing in last year’s world championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA) for not meeting gender
eligibility requirements; following the match, rumors circulated regarding whether or not Khelif could compete in women’s boxing, with some expressing worries about possible testosterone advantages.
On the other hand, the IOC has prohibited the IBA on governance, corruption, and Russian ties problems after criticizing the exams as severely deficient.
