Italian Boxer Angela Carini Apologizes To Imane Khelif After Inadvertently Causing Massive Controversy Surrounding Khelif's Gender

Italian boxer Angela Carini has expressed a desire to apologize to Algerian boxer Imane Khelif after retiring 46 seconds into their Olympics bout, inadvertently causing a global wave of transphobia towards Khelif, who was assigned female at birth and does not identify as transgender or intersex.

Carini told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, "All this controversy makes me sad. I'm sorry for my opponent, too. If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision." Her statement was quoted in the BBC in an article that spread widely on Twitter / X this morning.

The match caused controversy because Khelif, though born a woman and not transgender, was disqualified from the 2023 World Championships because the International Boxing Association (IBA) claimed she failed to meet eligibility criteria. What criteria she failed was never made public, but Algerian media reported the disqualification was due to Khelif's high levels of testosterone.

However, amid the current controversy, Washington Post reported there has never been evidence to support Khelif had XY chromosomes or high testosterone levels. This week, the IBA said Khelif did not “undergo a testosterone examination” but “a separate and recognized test.” There is widespread skepticism about the tests the IBA used as the basis to disqualify Khelif in 2023.

Furthermore, childhood photos of Khelif as a girl in Algeria circulated online during the controversy.

After retiring from the match, Carini explained, "A punch hurt too much and so I said enough. I go out with my head held high." She also seemed to stoke the controversy surrounding Khelif's participation in the Olympics, saying "I have never been hit so hard in my life. It’s up to the IOC to judge."

The International Olympics Committee (IOC) previously said about Khelif, "Everyone competing in the women’s category is complying with the competition eligibility rules. They are women in their passports and it’s stated that this is the case, that they are female."

The vagueness of Carini's post-match comments stoked a brutal wave of transphobia from around the globe, with several high-profile celebrities weighing in to condemn Khelif's participation as a sham. J.K. Rowling, Logan Paul and Donald Trump all publicly expressed horror and accused Khelif of being a biological male. A Missouri political candidate posted a viral tweet in which she expressly dropped an f-slur while arguing trans people should not be allowed to play women's sports.

In response, some labeled Carini herself as transphobic, believing her initial comments were criticisms of the IOC allowing Khelif to compete.

Carini added in her statement to Gazzetta dello Sport, "I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke." She also said if she saw Khelif, she would "embrace her."

Carini's comments seemed to be proof for many online that the transphobic outrage on her behalf was unwarranted, and that she had not resigned from the fight as a form of protest over Khelif's participation, as some speculated online.

Khelif is hardly a boxing powerhouse despite her supposed "advantage." She lost in the quarterfinals at the 2020 Olympics without incident. She boxes in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Olympics tomorrow.