The International Boxing Association (IBA) announced on Friday that it will award Italy’s Angela Carini $50,000 in prize money, despite her loss to Algerian Imane Khelif in the welterweight round-of-16 bout at the Paris Olympics. Carini’s bout lasted just 46 seconds, with the Italian withdrawing in the first round after Khelif, who is involved in a gender controversy, overwhelmed her with punches.
The IBA, which lost its international recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) last year, also stated that Carini’s federation would receive an additional $25,000, and her coach another $25,000.
IBA President Umar Kremlev criticized the situation, stating, “Only eligible athletes should compete in the ring for the sake of safety. I could not look at her tears.”
Despite failing IBA eligibility rules that prevent athletes with male XY chromosomes from competing in women’s events, Algeria’s Khelif and Taiwan’s double world champion Lin Yu-ting were cleared to compete in Paris. This decision came after they were disqualified at the 2023 World Championships.
The IOC, having stripped the IBA of its status as boxing’s governing body due to governance issues, is overseeing the boxing competition at Paris 2024. However, it is now entangled in controversy over the participation of Khelif and Lin.
Khelif is set to face Hungary’s Luca Anna Hamori next. In an interview with Gazetta dello Sport, Carini expressed regret over the controversy, stating, “I have nothing against Khelif and would give her a hug if I met her again.”
The IOC criticized the IBA’s disqualification of the boxers as arbitrary, leading to a public uproar involving figures like J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk. Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni supported Carini, claiming the match was not fair due to physical advantages.
Conversely, WBC women’s world featherweight champion Skye Nicolson defended Khelif and Lin, noting they had been beaten by women multiple times and deserved fair treatment. She suggested that Carini’s withdrawal was a publicity stunt.
The IOC confirmed that the eligibility rules were based on those of the Tokyo Games in 2021 and could not be altered during the competition.
