Italian boxer Angela Carini has explained her decision to end her boxing match early against Imane Khelif.
Today (August 1), Carini went head-to-head against the Algerian boxer in the ring, but called time on their fight just 46 seconds in.
The match was supposed to go for four rounds, but Carini felt she couldn't go on.
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The 25-year-old welterweight's headgear became dislodged twice within the short amount of time she went up against Khelif.
With her shock decision to end the fight so abruptly in mind, Carini has now spoken out.
Speaking to the press after the fight, Carini explained: "This time I didn't succeed because I couldn't fight anymore.
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"I put an end to the match because after the second blow, after years of experience in the ring and a life of fighting, I felt a strong pain in my nose.
"I said 'that's enough' because [...] I could not bring the match to an end. So I thought, maybe it's better to put an end to the match."
It's believed Carini sustained a broken nose in the fight, but this is yet to be confirmed.
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There was already controversy ahead of the boxing match between Carini and Khelif as Khelif was disqualified from last year’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi.
She failed an unspecified gender eligibility test due to what the International Boxing Association claimed were elevated levels of testosterone.
Khelif failed due to the IBA eligibility rules prevent athletes with XY chromosomes from competing in women’s events, Reuters reported.
The International Olympics Committee (IOC) has been facing criticism for letting Khelif take part in the Games with her having failed required health tests previously.
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Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting has also been a topic of discussion. Like Khelif, she was also disqualified from last year's World Championships for failing to meet gender eligibility criteria.
Caitlin Parker, captain of the Australian boxing team at Paris 2024 labelled it as 'dangerous' to have the likes of Khelif and Yu-ting take part.
"I don’t agree with it," she shared, as per The Telegraph. "I really hope the organizations get their act together."
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Despite the backlash, Mark Adams, the IOC’s spokesman, feels like the committee made the right decision.
"These boxers are entirely eligible – they are women on their passports," he said.
"It’s not helpful to start stigmatising people like this. We all have a responsibility not to turn it into some kind of witch-hunt."
Topics: Boxing, News, Olympics, Sport, World News, Imane Khelif
Niamh Shackleton