Transgenders participating in sports should be allowed but competing in women’s category should be barred. Imane Khelif a transgender boxer from Algeria who identifies herself as female but has male chromosome XY was in the eye of a storm when she knocked out Italian boxer Angela Carini in 46 seconds in her opening bout of Paris Olympics.
Italian boxer Angela Carini was left in tears on Thursday after losing her opening bout at the Paris Olympics 2024 against Algerian Imane Khelif, who had previously failed a gender test when she was participating in IBA world championship in 2023 and was disqualified by the IBA.
Khelif, who is being identified as a biological male, defeated Carini in the women’s boxing round of 16. Carini had to make the difficult decision to abandon the fight after just 46 seconds in the first round, following a powerful punch to her face from Khelif which she described as the hardest punch she had ever experienced.
The outcome of the fight has sparked debate and many people including Elon Musk and Italian PM Giorgia Meloni have slammed IOC for allowing Khelif to participate in women’s category in a combat sport. She said that “It is a fact that, with the levels of testosterone present in the blood of the Algerian athlete, the competition at the start does not seem fair.”
The IOC in its defence said that the IBA decision to disqualify the boxer was arbitrary and the primary cause of furore, that has led people like J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk to voice their opposition to them competing in the games. Riley Gaines, a former US swimmer and advocate for women’s single-sex spaces, voiced her support for Carini on X, saying, “Men don’t belong in women’s sports #IStandWithAngelaCarini.”
Meanwhile Lakshya Sen will compete tomorrow for a place in Men’s Badminton Final
