Boxers Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu Ting of Taiwan are competing in different women's boxing events in Paris but the decision to allow them to participate sparked public outrage with the pair having been disqualified from the Women's World Championships for failing gender eligibility tests last year.

The resulting commotion forced the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to release a statement Wednesday warning against the amassing outcry turning into a "witch-hunt". With Khelif's victory over Angela Carini of Italy coming in just 46 seconds today, tensions now threaten to flare further after the Italian retired from the game saying "I had to preserve my life."

Wednesday, 31 July 2024: Statement from the International Boxing Association (IBA) on the prior disqualifications

On Wednesday, the International Boxing Association (IBA) released a statement explaining that "it appropriate at this prevalent time, to address recent media statements regarding those athletes Lin Yu-ting and Imane Khelif, particularly regarding their participation in the Paris Olympic Games 2024."

"On 24 March 2023, IBA disqualified athletes Lin Yu-ting and Imane Khelif from the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships New Delhi 2023. This disqualification was a result of their failure to meet the eligibility criteria for participating in the women’s competition, as set and laid out in the IBA Regulations" it read.

"This decision, made after a meticulous review, was extremely important and necessary to uphold the level of fairness and utmost integrity of the competition."

The review, however, was not explained in depth with the IBA clarifying that "the athletes did not undergo a testosterone examination but were subject to a separate and recognized test, whereby the specifics remain confidential."

This test reportedly "conclusively indicated that both athletes did not meet the required necessary eligibility criteria" and had "competitive advantages over other female competitors."

The statement also explained that the disqualification was based on two tests conducted on both athletes in Istanbul 2022 and in New Delhi 2023. 

While Lin Yu-ting did not appeal the IBA’s decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), Imane Khelif did initially appeal the decision but then withdrew the appeal during the process.

Thursday, 1 August 2024: Imane Khelif vs Angela Carini

Thursday's bout in the Women's Welterweight 66kg Round-of-16 came to a premature end after a tearful Angela Carini retired before the minute mark having caught a significant punch to the face in the first 30 seconds. 

The 25-year-old from Naples took a brief break and resumed but then withdrew from the fight saying that she had to "preserve her life". With the match abandoned and the win awarded to Khelif, Carini could be heard saying "it's not right" just before the referee raised Khelif's arm in victory.

After the match, Carini broke down in tears telling media that she had ever been hit that hard in her life and feared her nose was broken. 

“I am heartbroken. I went to the ring to honour my father. I was told a lot of times that I was a warrior but I preferred to stop for my health. I have never felt a punch like this," said Carini. “I got into the ring to fight. I didn’t give up, but one punch hurt too much so I said enough. I’m going out with my head held high."

Thursday, 1 August 2024: Paris 2024 Boxing Unit/International Olympic Committee joint statement

A joint statement from the IOC and the boxing unit at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games was then released Thursday beginning with the words "Every person has the right to practise sport without discrimination."

"All athletes participating in the boxing tournament of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 comply with the competition’s eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations set by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit" it read. "As with previous Olympic boxing competitions, the gender and age of the athletes are based on their passport."

The statement then went on to cite reports of misleading information about the two female athletes competing at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 explaining that "the two athletes have been competing in international boxing competitions for many years in the women’s category, including the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, International Boxing Association (IBA) World Championships and IBA-sanctioned tournaments."

Towards the end of the statement, the IOC referred to their previous disqualifications for failed eligibility tests as "a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA" calling Imane Khelif and Lin Yu Ting "victims".

"The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision" to read. "Which was taken without any proper procedure – especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years.

Thursday, 1 August 2024: Reactions

After the fight between Khelif and Carini, numerous voices echoed their disapproval including BBC Boxing Analyst Steve Bunch who called it an absolute disaster".

"I think it has hurt Olympic boxing at a crucial time where its future is still being discussed. It's an absolute disaster," said Bunce. But he also went on to say "What's interesting is in the build-up to the fight, some of her old opponents, good fighters, world champions and European champions, have said she [Khelif] is not a cheat."

"Carini, I feel for her absolutely, but you have to feel a little bit for Khelif, she's stuck in the middle of something here that's absolutely devastating and it's not over yet," he finished.

Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni weighed in saying “I think that athletes who have male genetic characteristics should not be admitted to women’s competitions … from my point of view it was not an even contest.”

Statement from World Boxing President Boris van der Vorst

The last few years have seen a long breakdown of relations between the International Boxing Association (IBA) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) which last June resulted in the Olympic organizers stripping the IBA of recognition.

In April, a breakaway body, World Boxing, was then launched with Dutch federation head Boris van der Vorst elected as its first president. 

Talking to Inside the Games, Boris van der Vorst distanced himself from the friction but showed his support for the IOC.

"it is important to stress that World Boxing is not in charge of this competition, he said. "I am fully confident they did they (IOC) have done their homework and that all the procedures are in place."

"I am confident that after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, they will assign the right medical committee to make things clear going forward. Safety is above everything," he finished.

Upcoming bouts

Imane Khelif will now face Hungary's Anna Luca Hamori next in the 66kg quarter-finals on Saturday while Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting, who was stripped of a bronze medal at last year's World Championships due to the failed gender eligibility test, will face Sitora Turdibekova of Uzbekistan in the the 57kg featherweight category.

Hungary's Hamori cast the current commotion aside in an interview with BBC Sport today saying "My mentality is never to give up, it doesn't matter what happens. [Carini's abandonment] is her choice. I can promise I will fight to the end. We will see what happens. "I don't know what the truth is. I don't care. I just want to win."