Internet got furious after Imane Khelif of Algeria won 'her' first match at the Paris Olympics 2024 in just 46 seconds after getting in the ring with Italian Boxer Angela Carini. In 2023, Khelif was excluded from the World Championships for failing a gender eligibility test. Her participation in the 'women's boxing' at the Olympics has sparked big controversy.


COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING

Just 46 seconds into the fight, Carini was handed a good right hand from Khelif moments before she called it over. She abandoned the match after just two receiving two punches to her face which is very unusual in Olympic boxing. In the end, the Italian threw her helmet and yelled, "This is unjust."


She further said, "I'm used to suffering. I've never taken a punch like that, it's impossible to continue. I'm nobody to say it's illegal."


"I have never been hit so hard in my life. It's up to the IOC to judge," she added while talking to media after the fight. (Paris Olympics 2024: Nikhat Zareen In Tears After Crashing Out In Round Of 16 Following Loss Against Wu Yu)


Fans on social media did not accept the match result and reacted with some furious posts. Checkout the reactions below...









Carini refused to shake Khelif's hand after the decision was announced, and she cried in the ring before leaving. Khelif is an accomplished amateur who won a silver medal at the International Boxing Association's 2022 world championships.


The same governing body disqualified her from last year's championships shortly before her gold-medal match because of what it claimed were elevated levels of testosterone. (Swapnil Kusale's Journey: From Railway TT To Paris Olympics 2024 Medal Winner For India)


The 25-year-old entered the ring at the North Paris Arena to a chorus of cheers, but the crowd was confused by the bout's sudden end. Khelif and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan have suddenly received massive scrutiny for their presence in Paris after years of amateur competition.


Lin won the IBA World Championships in 2018 and 2022. But, the governing body stripped her of a bronze medal last year because it claimed she failed to meet unspecified eligibility requirements in a biochemical test. The Algerian Olympic Committee issued a statement Wednesday condemning what it termed, "lies and unethical targeting and maligning of our esteemed athlete, Imane Khelif, with baseless propaganda from certain foreign media outlets."