Started as a man in women’s boxing, won in 46 seconds

The second round clash between Italian Angela Carini and Algerian Imane Helif ended in controversy in the women’s 66kg category, as the Italian lady fell to her knees and burst into tears after receiving two powerful punches, shouting that it was unfair, and refusing to shake hands with her opponent when the referee announced Helif as the winner. Helif was excluded by the International Boxing Association (IBA) due to the results of gender tests conducted before the 2023 boxing world championship.

The women’s boxing tournament in the 66kg weight category was expected to be controversial after the International Olympic Committee allowed Imane Helif, who had previously been classified as male by the International Boxing Association (IBA), to compete in Paris. The favored Algerian boxer faced off against Italian Angela Carini, who signaled that she would not continue the fight after receiving two powerful punches in the 46th second of the match. The referee raised Helif’s hand in victory, and Carini fell to her knees, crying out that it was unfair. The Italian later refused to shake hands with the Algerian as she left the ring.

“I always tried to serve my country, but this time it made no sense to continue, I was unable to box further. Even warriors sometimes give up. When they lose the battle, they honorably bury the sword in the ground. And that’s what I did,” Carini said after the match, adding that she did not give up the fight as a protest. The Italian was examined by a doctor after the match to determine if her nose was broken.

The incident stemmed from the exclusion of Helif by the International Boxing Association (IBA) before last year’s World Championships, stating that the results of the gender test conducted were not satisfactory, and the testosterone level was too high, meaning that biologically she was male and could not compete in the women’s championship.

The Olympic boxing tournament in Tokyo was organized not by the IBA but by the International Olympic Committee, which means that Helif could participate in the female competition at the Olympics according to the rules of the IOC.

In Paris, another boxer, Taiwanese Lin Jü-ting, who faced similar problems in determining her gender, was also excluded from last year’s World Championships.