Apr 20, 2024; Pueblo, Colorado, USA; Emilie Sonvico (FRA) in red and Imen Khelif (ALG) in blue compete in the elite female 66kg final at Pueblo Convention Center.
© Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
(Paris) – A major controversy has ensued at the Paris Olympics, and it involves the ongoing debate over women’s sports, transgender individuals, and questions over what’s fair and unfair. Angela Carini — an Italian Olympian and women’s boxing competitor — threw in the towel and quit her match today after just 46 seconds. She was competing with Imane Khelif of Algeria, who has been banned from some other boxing competitions for failing “gender eligibility tests.”
According to reports, Khelif has Swyer Syndrome — meaning she was born with some XY chromosomes. Medical journals say people with Swyer are typically taller and thin, with a relatively small uterus. But they have sex organs typical of women. They do lack ovaries, and are therefore infertile — but they can become pregnant via an implanted, fertilized egg.
To add to the controversy, Khelif was banned by International Amateur Boxing for failing testoesterone and gender eligbility tests. But the International Olympic Committee has said this is not a “transgender” issue. After quitting the match at the Paris games, Carini said she had never been hit that hard before. She went on to say she was not making a political statement by throwing in the towel.
Meanwhile, Khelif’s status is not the only gender-related controversy for the women’s boxing division at the summer Olympics. Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yu-ting also previously failed IAB’s gender eligibility tests and will compete at the Paris Olympics Friday.
